BELOIT, Wis. Beloit College led Ripon by three points in the first set and traded runs with the Red Hawks for stretches, but Ripon's balanced attack and stout net defense carried it to a 25-20, 25-17, 25-14 sweep this evening at Flood Arena. Beloit moves to 4-8 on the season (0-2 MWC), and Ripon improves to 6-13 (1-2 MWC).
Beloit looked ready to make it a match early. The first set featured nine ties and six lead changes, and Beloit pushed in front on back-to-back kills from Lilianne Bethards (Rockford, IL) and Daniela Perez (San Francisco, CA), with a Madeline Holthaus (Saint Paul, MN) kill in between, to take a 16-13 lead.
Ripon answered with an 11-1 run, scoring six straight points and then five more after Perez broke the streak with a kill. Beloit trailed 24-17 before Bethards and Holthaus closed to 20-24, but Ripon finished it, 25-20. Beloit hit just .091 in the set but got three kills from Bethards (.500) and a balanced contribution from Perez, who also had three.
Selin Tufte (Clarkdale, Ariz.) gave Beloit a 6-3 lead in the second set with a pair of kills, and Beloit pushed it to 7-4 behind a block from Naomi Murphy (Dubuque, Iowa) and Madalyn Huizel (Faribault, MN) that stuffed a Ripon attack. Ripon then reeled off seven straight points, helped by a series of Beloit attack errors.
Beloit kept fighting. Adelaide Schmitt (Aurora, Colo.) served an ace to make it 14-21, and Kawailehua Kapuni-Lankford (Hilo, HI) added a service ace late as Beloit chipped away to 17-24. Ripon closed it out 25-17. Tufte finished with three kills in the set, and Huizel and Perez each added two.
Beloit took the first two points of the third set on kills by Murphy, who had three in the set, but Ripon took control midway through and closed with a 25-14 win. Bethards (three kills), Holthaus (two) and Cloe Hacker (Woodstock, IL) (one kill on one swing, a perfect 1.000) kept Beloit scoring until the end.
Beloit's defense was a bright spot, collecting 49 digs and receiving serve at a .928 clip. The Buccaneers served 3 aces, including the two in set 2 that sparked brief rallies.
Beloit looks to turn things around quickly as they host Lawrence University tomorrow at 1 pm.
