ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The St. Olaf College volleyball team was defeated in three sets by Cornell College and in four sets by host Bethel University on day two of the Region IX Invitational at Robertson Center.

In the second meeting between the two teams in a week, Cornell (6-4) hit .333 and held St. Olaf (4-6) to a .092 clip to pick up a 25-20, 25-13, 25-19 win in the Oles' first match of the day. Later, St. Olaf evened the match at a set apiece by winning the second set, but Bethel (7-4) finished off a 25-21, 19-25, 25-22, 25-17 victory in a matchup of teams receiving votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) national poll this week.

Cornell 3, St. Olaf 0 | Box Score

Cornell hit at least .286 in all three sets to sweep St. Olaf for the second weekend in a row. Rory Light and Ilah Perez-Johnson combined for 25 kills and both hit over .340 for the Rams.

First year Tatum Sims recorded a team-high nine kills in the loss for the Oles, who got seven kills from junior Catherine Moore. Senior Selena Rodriguez contributed 15 digs defensively, while first year Paige Christophersen had a team-best 16 assists and two aces.

St. Olaf held a 17-14 lead in the opening set before Cornell won seven-straight points as part of an 11-3 finish to the set to grab the opener. The Rams carried the run over into the start of the second set, building a 12-3 lead and leading by at least six the rest of the way.

In the third, the Oles led 15-14 on an ace by fifth-year senior Katelyn Lannom, but the Rams won the next six points to take a 20-15 advantage that they would hold onto.

Bethel 3, St. Olaf 1 | Box Score

Junior Anysia Caille posted a career-high 15 kills while hitting .344 and Moore added 14 for St. Olaf, but Bethel got 20 kills from Kirstin Cotter and 12 from Dani Friedges to win the first of the two matchups between the two programs this season. The match was a non-conference contest.

Christophersen had the first 20-assist, 20-dig performance of her young career with 20 assists and a career-high 20 digs, while Rodriguez tallied 23 digs to go with eight assists. Rodriguez has had 20-plus digs in five of the Oles' 10 matches this season.

In an opening set that included eight ties and four lead changes, St. Olaf held a late 2-120 lead after a block by junior Erica Collin and senior Christina Cheng, but Bethel won the final five points of the set to win it by four. Cotter had six kills in the set for the Royals, while Rodriguez had 10 digs in the early stages for the Oles.

St. Olaf never trailed in the second set, breaking a 16-16 tie with a 5-1 run to take a four-point lead. The Oles won nine of the final 12 points of the second after the 16-16 deadlock. Caille had five kills on eight errorless swings in the set and St. Olaf held Bethel to a match-low .138 attack percentage to even the match at a set apiece.

Cotter had seven kills in the third to help Bethel to a two-sets-to-one lead. The Royals used an 8-1 run midway through the set to open up a 17-12 lead and held off a late rally by the Oles, who got within a point at 22-21 with a 4-0 run.

Looking to extend the match, St. Olaf surged out to an 8-4 lead early in the fourth, but Bethel won seven of the next nine points to take a lead the Royals would hold onto the rest of the set. After leading 17-14, Bethel pulled away late to finish off the four-set win.

The Oles open Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play at home against the College of St. Scholastica on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m.