Everybody Played in Bethlehem Academy Volleyball Win

The Class A top-ranked Faribault Bethlehem Academy Cardinals played everybody in a four-set win over the Blooming Prairie Awesome Blossoms on Thursday night.

The Cardinals won the first two sets 25-10 and 25-13, then played all reserves in the third set and fell 25-17 before winning the fourth set 25-10.

Bethlehem Academy head coach Franz Boelter told Power 96 after the match he doesn't typically play all reserves in a set, but he decided they do have enough depth at each position to do it.

He said it was fun to watch the ladies who don't see the floor a lot during matches compete and do a very nice job against starters from another team.

The win gives the Cardinals a 2-0 record in the Gopher Conference and Blooming Prairie dropped to 2-2 in league play.

Bethlehem Academy is now 7-4 overall and participates in a loaded tournament in Apple Valley on Friday and Saturday.

There are 16 teams in the tournament and 15 of them are from Class 3A. Seven of those are ranked in the top 10 in Class 3A, so Boelter says you could go winless in the tournament and still come out a better team.

The Cardinals will open with Prior Lake.

Our Faribault State Farm Insurance Agents Jason Krohn and Tony Langerud Faribault players of the game were Shelby Meyer, Delaney Donahue, Keeely Skluzacek and Jacie Jasinski.

Before the match, Boelter said his team was going to be very aggressive serving because he felt they would need to be in this weekend tournament.

Meyer had six ace serves, Skluzacek four aces and Donahue and Jasinski contributed nicely to an offense that wants to become more diverse.

Payton Nutter and Mary Campbell always figure prominently in the kill department but Boelter said he felt his team may have had their best night in terms of spreading the ball to more people.

Tuesday Bethlehem Academy travels to Maple River and Thursday they go to Wells to face United South Central in a couple of Gopher Conference matches.