Volleyball sweeps Bethel for second straight win

The Pipers (8-4, 2-1 in the MIAC) broke a string of 17 straight MIAC and non-conference losses between the two schools with the victory.

Hamline senior Dana Luiken led the Pipers with 15 kills on just 25 attempts for a hitting percentage of .480. Sophomore Amanda Booth added 14 kills and seven blocks while junior Shelby Hyllengren had 10 kills.

Sophomore Jenny Nichols dished out 41 assists. Senior Jenna Witt and first-year Tasha Simmons both had 19 digs.

The Royals (10-4, 2-2) were led by Liz Glesne's 15 kills, but she was also forced into 12 attacking errors.

The Pipers held a 47-43 advantage on kills and the Pipers committed 11 less attacking errors than the Royals.

In game one, the Pipers broke out to a 9-2 lead before Bethel stormed back to take a 11-10 lead in the game. But the Pipers came back with a four-point run with two kills by Booth to take the lead for good.

In game two, Hamline trailed 22-16, but scored 10 of the next 12 points on the serves of Sara Burns and Witt. Booth and Luiken each had two kills in the spurt. Junior Tina Cherland ended the game with one of the Pipers' six aces in the contest.

In game three, the Pipers broke a 28-28 tie with a pair of Luiken kills to finish off the Royals.

The Pipers will host Macalester Saturday afternoon at Hutton Arena. Game time is set for 3:00 p.m.