McKENZIE, TN - Mid-Continent University (1-4, 0-2 TSAC) came back from five points down to win set two, 25-23, and sliced a 10-point Bethel lead to four points late in set four, but Bethel University (2-1, 2-0 TSAC) escaped with a 3-1 conference victory, Saturday, September 4, in McKenzie, Tennessee, winning by scores of 25-10, 23-25, 25-9, 25-19.

     MCU plays a pair of TSAC road matches next week, meeting Martin Methodist College in Pulaski, Tennessee, Tuesday, September 7, at 7:00 p.m., and Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tennessee, Thursday, Sept. 9, at 7:00 p.m.

    Bethel led set one wire-to-wire with leads of 7-1, 14-6 and 17-10 and scored the final 8 points. Set two was close throughout, but Bethel appeared to be on its way to a win with leads of 20-15 and 21-16 before the visiting Cougars clawed their way back to tie the match at 23-23. Junior middle hitter Katie Perry (Anchorage, AK/Grace Christian School), pictured on the left, tallied 3 of MCU's final 5 points with 2 blocks and a kill, and sophomore outside hitter Kristin Selph (Jackson, TN/Liberty HS), pictured above on the right, accounted for 3 of MCU's last 7 points with kills, including point 24, and a Bethel error accounted for point 25.

    The host Wildcats led 17-6 and 19-7 in set three before posting a 25-9 win, and in set four, MCU trailed 20-9 and 23-15 before fighting back again and cutting Bethel's lead to 23-19 and possessed the service, but served point 24 for Bethel into the net.

     The Wildcats posted 60 kills with 16 errors in 149 chances while Mid-Continent finished with 26 kills and 14 kill errors in 117 total attacks. Bethel served 13 aces to MCU, and MCU's servers served 5 aces. MCU also received 14 gift points from Bethel service errors, while MCU committed just 4 service errors.

     Selph totaled a season-high 13 kills and 15 digs and handled 22 service reception chances with 4 errors. Perry added 7 kills, 9 digs, one solo block and 2 assisted blocks, and senior outside hitter Tiffany Payton (Wadesville, IN/Mater Dei HS/Kaskaskia College, IL) finished with 3 kills and 15 digs. Junior setter Lindsey Davis (Charlestown, IN/Charlestown HS/Kaskaskia CC) contributed 14 assists, and junior outside hitter Tara Bauch (Houston, TX/Cy-Falls HS/Vernon College, TX) added 2 kills, 10 digs, 13 service receptions with 3 errors and served a season-best 4 service aces.

    All-TSAC first team outside hitter Thaise Vieira, last season's TSAC Newcomer of the Year, led Bethel with 23 kills with just one error in 34 kill attempts and had 9 digs and 18 service receptions with one error. Her sister, Jessica Vieira, added 16 kills with 3 errors in 33 chances, and setter Shea Sheppard finished with 52 set assists and 5 digs. Libero Lori Magnuson, an All-TSAC honorable mention selection last season along with MCU's Perry and Payton, totaled 24 digs and 17 errorless service receptions and also served 2 aces.