Lebanon, Tenn– Cumberland women’s volleyball earns their seventh 3-0 conference sweep of the season with a redemption win over Bethel University.

The Phoenix had a strong outing on all cylinders, with notable leaders being Harlee Kate Reid and Bianca Rodriquez. Reid led all attackers with 11 kills and an impressive .429 attacking percentage. Rodriquez led her front row with 21 assists over the three sets. 

The Wildcats were led by Hannah McGowan with nine kills and Ashley Sommerfeld with eight.

Set one was majorly a back-and-forth affair between the two teams until around the 14-14 scoreboard when huge kills from Izzy Curcio and Hazel Konkel ignited some energy in the Phoenix. From there, Cumberland went on a 5-0 run with Rodriquez on the serving line. They held down that lead for the remainder of the set, dominating the Wildcats with a score of 25-17.

The Phoenix earned the first three points of set two that kept them in the lead early on, but the Wildcats were able to slowly chip away and recollect themselves to tie the match at 6-6. Bethel saw their first lead of the set with a kill from McGowan and an error on the Phoenix attack line. From that point, the teams were neck and neck. Bethel went on just enough point runs to take a four point lead over the Phoenix at 16-12, but Cumberland recovered nicely when Rodriquez went on another serving run that lasted for four points. The Wildcats closed in on the Phoenix, even tying up the game at 23-23, but a kill from Reid and an error on Bethel’s side ended the set in favor of the Phoenix 25-23. 

Cumberland was determined to end the game at three sets and came into set three with a heavy sense of tenacity. Nicole Bott kicked off the set with a four point serving run, an advantage from which the Wildcats were unable to recover. The Phoenix played consistently throughout the entire set, keeping their errors to a minimum. Cumberland took the set with another 25-17 score.

The Phoenix move to a 15-5 overall, 8-3 conference record. The team will head to St. Louis, Missouri for the weekend to compete in the two-day Spartan Invite hosted by Missouri Baptist University. Their first match in the tournament will be on Friday, October 14 against Trinity International University.