ST. PAUL, Minn.  – For the first time since 2011, the Macalester volleyball defeated the Bethel Royals. In the five-set thriller, the Scots won 16-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-19, 15-13, in front of their home crowd in the Leonard Center. The win brings the Scots up to 6-7 (1-1 MIAC).
 
After the Scots started the first set with a 4-0 lead, the Royals took control of the first set, building an 18-10 lead. Junior outside hitter Adisa Preston (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie), junior defensive specialist Jill MacInnis (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg), and sophomore outside hitter Grace Watkins (San Angelo, Texas/Georgetown) each got a kill to decrease the Royals' lead, but the Scots fell 25-16. Preston started the second set off with three kills, to help build a 6-1 lead. Bethel came back with a 9-5 run to bring the game within one point, but the Scots staved off the Royals to take the second set 25-23. Macalester totaled 14 kills in the set and sophomore defensive specialist Sarah Bohrer (Minneapolis, Minn./Edina) ended the set with two service aces.
 
The third set was controlled by Bethel, who took the set 25-18. Down 2-1, the Scots battled hard in set four. With a kill by first year middle blocker Sydney Stratton (North Liberty, Iowa/Liberty) sandwiched by a pair of Royals' attack errors, Macalester took a slight 9-7 lead. The points continued to go back-and-forth, until the Scots were able to pull away 23-18. A kill from Stratton and a ball handling error from Bethel took the match to a fifth set.
 
The Scots took a 5-1 lead to begin the set. The Royals were able to take back the lead, 10-8. Four kills from Preston and a crucial kill from junior middle blocker Stephanie Geber (Oviedo, Fla./Oviedo) sealed the 15-13 set win, and 3-2 victory.
 
First year setter Hannah Morrow (Raleigh, N.C./Millbrook) totaled 44 assists and 12 digs. Preston ended the day, leading the Scots with 13 kills and 13 digs, while Watkins tallied 12 kills. Defensively, junior libero Torrance Williams (Houston, Texas/Yes Prep Northbrook) recorded 21 digs and Geber tallied five blocks.
 
Macalester's next match will be Wednesday Sept 27. The Scots head to St. Peter, Minn. for a MIAC contest against Gustavus. The match will start at 7:00 p.m.