GALESBURG, Ill. – The Beloit College volleyball team finally broke through in Midwest Conference play this evening, sweeping Knox 25-22, 25-19, 30-28 at Memorial Gym. It was the Buccaneers' first conference victory since 2022 and moved the team to 5-9 overall and 1-3 in the league. Knox fell to 3-18 and 0-5 in conference play.
Set 3 was the night's real test. Beloit trailed 9-6 early, then rallied through a back-and-forth stretch that saw the set tied 11 times across the match's closing frame. Knox jumped ahead 15-9 behind a run of Zoe Thunhurst service aces, and Beloit called timeout. The Bucs clawed back and tied it at 22 on a Naomi Murphy (Dubuque, Iowa) kill set up by Aaliyah Gerard (Aiea, HI).
Knox reached set point at 24-22, but Beloit answered with an Adelaide Schmitt (Aurora, Colo.)-served kill by Daniela Perez (San Francisco, CA) and a Lilianne Bethards (Rockford, IL) kill off a Gerard set to level things at 25. After the sides traded points through 28-28, Gerard's set to Madeline Holthaus (Saint Paul, MN) produced the finishing kill for the 30-28 win.
Holthaus led the Bucs with 11.0 points, putting down 8 kills on 23 swings. She also served three aces and was a steady presence in serve receive with 16 reception attempts handled and 14 digs.
Murphy was right behind with 11.5 points, recording 8 kills, 2 block solos and 1 block assist, plus a service ace.
Bethards came off the bench to add 6 kills, including 4 in the decisive third set where she hit .375. Her kills at 22-19 and 22-20 helped fuel the late rally.
Gerard ran the offense with 18 assists in total and 57 set attempts, distributing at a .316 clip. She also contributed 3 service aces and a block assist.
Lizzie Paschal (Holbrook, AZ) added 7 assists in a setting role and chipped in with 2 kills on just 3 swings (.667), plus 10 digs.
Selin Tufte (Clarkdale, Ariz.) contributed 4 kills, with a pair of big swings in the second set when Beloit clawed back from a 17-14 deficit to win.
Renee Stout (Nocona, TX) led the defensive effort with 14 digs.
Beloit hit .148 as a team with 37 kills on 122 attempts, outpacing Knox's .041 mark (25 kills, 20 errors). The Bucs held a 53.0 to 36.0 edge in points and won the sideout battle, including a 63% mark in set two. Beloit also served 11 aces to Knox's 4 and held a 71 to 58 edge in digs. Team blocks favored Knox 7.0 to 5.0, but Beloit's serving and ball control made the difference.
The win marks a milestone for a program that had gone more than four years without a conference victory, and it gives Beloit momentum in the Midwest Conference standings.
They look to build off the momentum as they take on Illinois College tomorrow at 1 pm.
