Bethel men's volleyball wins WHAC title, earns bid to NAIA Nationals

Dunkley, who got his league POY award Friday night during the semifinal matches at Bethel, helped his team seize control early. Locked in a tight 13-12 first set, Dunkley sparked a 6-1 Bethel run with a pair of monster smashes for kills that not only forced a Tech timeout but gave his team breathing room to set the tone and grab momentum with a 1-0 lead.

"Feels good," said Dunkley of the title after celebrating with his team, donning a championship T-shirt and posing for plenty of photos. "I'm just very happy for me, our school and all of the guys. When it mattered the most, we showed up today.

"I just try to focus on the point I'm playing and put all of my effort into that point. I just try to stay in the present moment and that gives me confidence and consistency. Christian is special. He brings passion for sure. He's always putting in extra reps in practice and I knew he had a big game coming like this one."

Dunkley, a 6-2 outside hitter from Las Vegas, finished with 17 kills and 13 digs.

The No. 8 Bethel University men's volleyball team qualified for the NAIA Nationals Saturday for the first time after winning the WHAC tournament championship at home.

Bethel, which won 3-2 at Tech back on Feb. 20, was tied at 16-16 in the second set. The hosts used a 3-0 run, led by Pak Him and Woumnga, to pull away to go up 2-0. Tech was able to avoid the shutout loss with a gutty effort in the third set. The third set was tied at numerous points with the largest lead just three points by either team. Tech led 23-21 before a pair of kills by Dunkley tied it at 23-23.

The fourth set was close early before the Pilots simply pulled away. Bethel simply possessed too many offensive weapons at the net in the end for Tech to counter. Pak Him, a 6-2 outside hitter from Hong Kong, had 14 kills and eight digs. Roybal-Benson, a 6-6 middle blocker from Las Vegas, had seven kills.

Junior setter McGwire Eigenrauch, who also hails from Vegas, had 51 assists. Eigenrauch was the WHAC Setter of the Year and first-team All-WHAC, while Roybal-Benson was a first-team selection and Woumnga, Pak Him and Eduardo Kerkoski were all second team honorees. Ben Ritzema, one of three seniors for the Pilots, earned the Champion of Character award from the WHAC. The Bethel roster also includes senior outside hitter Carson Moore, a Penn High School product.

Bethel coach Cerame looked as calm as could be amid all the post-match excitement.

"I may look calm, but inside I'm very excited," said Cerame, whose team finished 14-16 a season ago and lost in the conference tourney semifinals. "This team has faced so much adversity this season from injuries to other things. To see them come together and do this makes me very proud of them. We have a rule here that it's about us, not about me. And this team has embraced that.

"Christian had a rough game Friday night in the semifinals. But he bounced back today. He turns it on in the postseason and brings his best. You realize today how good he is. As far as the chest bump. I'm here to share the passion with my players, not just be their coach."

Cerame, who was named the WHAC Coach of the Year after his team went 17-1 in league play, and Dunkley agree that the Pilots need to showcase their ability at the national tournament.

"We need to go there and show up and compete," noted Cerame of the Nationals. "I'm proud of what we've done, but not satisfied."

"I want us to go out there and compete at the Nationals," said Dunkley. "When we play like we did today, we are a very dangerous team."

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Bethel men's volleyball earns first berth in the NAIA Nationals