Bethel Christian Conquers Goliath

LANCASTER —  Little Bethel Christian invaded the Antelope Valley High gymnasium Thursday with visions of a girls’ volleyball upset. But when the Division V Eagles swept the Antelopes, 15-12, 16-14, 15-9, they shocked even their coach.

“We were pretty confident that we could compete with them going in--even win,” John Payne said. “But this was a surprise. This was a great victory, taking on a Division I team and sweeping them.”

Hilda Haddad had 16 kills and seven aces to lead Bethel Christian (4-0), which finished second in the Desert Mountain League last season. Beth Barnett added seven kills and 13 digs, while Kim Guess had 30 assists and four aces.

The Eagles have beaten only one other Division I opponent (Palmdale) in Payne’s four years as coach and have never advanced past the quarterfinals in the playoffs. But this Bethel Christian team is currently ranked No. 9 in its division.

Antelope Valley fell to 1-3.