LINDSBORG, Kan. – The University of Saint Mary volleyball team picked up a key conference win on the road Tuesday night to keep pace with the top half of the conference in the standings, defeating Bethany College 3-1 (27-25, 25-10, 23-25, 25-20).

The Spires are now 23-14 overall and 8-3 in the conference. They sit in fourth place in the KCAC, just a half game behind Kansas Wesleyan for third place.

GAME FLOW
Saint Mary found themselves down 21-20 in the first set to the Swedes and even faced set point to the opposition at 23-24. Aly Camacho sparked the Spires with three straight kills to take a 26-25 lead before the Swedes had an attacking error to give Saint Mary the set. The Spires continued the momentum in the second set, jumping out to a huge 19-5 lead. Bianca Asheim, Ashley Van Gieson and Camacho then spiked three kills to help the Spires take a 2-0 match lead with a 25-10 set win.

Bethany would take the third set by a narrow 25-23 score, but the Spires would end the match in the fourth set to earn their record 23rd win of the season. Bailey Wright, Delaney Deckard and Camacho helped the team break an 11-11 tie to take a 15-11 advantage. Saint Mary led by at least four points the rest of the way and took the fourth set 25-20 for the match win.

KEY STATISTICS

• Wright recorded a double-double including a season high 29 assists along with 12 digs.
• Four different Spires recorded double-digit kills led by Asheim's 14.
• Katy Koepke led the team with 19 digs.
• Saint Mary outhit Bethany .256 to .156 led by Asheim's .591 attacking percentage.

WHAT'S AHEAD FOR THE SPIRES
Saint Mary closes out the regular season with a home match against Avila University on Saturday. The match is the team's annual Senior Night and begins at 7 p.m.