NORTH NEWTON, Kan. – The Ottawa University volleyball team dropped a hard-fought four-set match to Bethel College on Saturday afternoon inside Thresher Gym. The Braves opened strong with a first-set win but couldn't maintain momentum, falling by scores of 25-19, 12-25, 24-26, and 13-25.

Set One | Ottawa 25, Bethel 19
Ottawa came out strong, using an 8-3 run to open the match behind solid serving and front-row pressure. A service ace from Jezebel Hobbs and kills by Kira Cherry and Bailee Nickel gave the Braves control early. Bethel closed the gap to 12-11 midway through the set, but Lillian Holden and Hollie Peters sparked a late Ottawa surge with multiple blocks and kills. The Braves took advantage of Bethel attack errors and finished the set on a 5-1 run, capped by a Cherry kill to secure the 25-19 win. Set Two | Bethel 25, Ottawa 12
The Threshers responded with a dominant second set, led by Cameron Offerle, who posted several kills during a 10-3 Bethel run. Ottawa struggled offensively, committing six attack errors and hitting just .028 as Bethel built an insurmountable lead. Despite kills from Nickel and Peters, the Braves couldn't slow the Threshers' attack, dropping the set 25-12. Set Three | Bethel 26, Ottawa 24
The third set proved to be the turning point in the match. Ottawa built an early 7-3 lead with a service ace by Madison Brauner and back-to-back kills from Peters and Nickel. The Braves held a 21-15 advantage late before Bethel stormed back behind the attacking duo of Offerle and Alayna Vines. Ottawa had two set points, but the Threshers rallied to tie it at 24 and took the set 26-24 on consecutive kills by Dylan Cochran. Set Four | Bethel 25, Ottawa 13
Bethel carried its momentum into the fourth set, jumping out to a 10-4 lead behind strong play from Offerle and Dalaina Schutte. Ottawa briefly closed the gap to 8-8 after kills from Stark and Peters, but Bethel's offense proved too much. The Threshers finished on a 12-4 run to close the match, sealing a 3-1 victory. Team Leaders

• Bailee Nickel led Ottawa with 10 kills and added two block assists.
• Hollie Peters contributed eight kills, six block assists, and 11.5 points.
• Campbell Stark recorded seven kills and six blocks.
• Carson Schuman anchored the defense with 18 digs, while Madison Brauner dished out 15 assists and tallied five digs.
• Madison Holcomb added 11 assists and a service ace.

Bethel's Offerle paced all players with 24 kills, while Schutte finished with 40 assists and two aces.

Who is Next
The Braves (10-13, 7-6) is the sixth seed in the KCAC Tournament and will travel third seeded Oklahoma Wesleyan University on Tuesday, Nov. 11.