The Goshen College volleyball team hosted conference opponent Mount Vernon Nazarene University on Tuesday night, where the visiting Cougars knocked off the Maple Leafs in straight sets.
Despite being swept, Goshen didn’t roll over against the Crossroads League’s second-ranked team and pushed Mount Vernon all match with the final set scores reading 25-19, 25-20, and 25-18.Though the Maple Leafs were able to keep the match close throughout, they couldn’t manage to steal a set or two and were often their own worst enemy, committing 17 errors to the Cougars’ 10. Mount Vernon outhit Goshen 49-40 and held a 32.2% hitting rate to Goshen’s 19.3%.
Goshen was led offensively by Hallie Vanitvelt, a sophomore, and Lexa Magnuson, a senior, who tallied nine kills apiece. Christy Swartzendruber, a junior, Meghan Gerke, a junior, Kylie Giger, a senior, and Whitney Peterson, a sophomore, all chipped in to record seven, five, three, and three kills respectively. Ally Roehr, a first-year, led the charge with 18 assists. Lisa Rodriguez, a junior, contributed 14.
Defensively, Swartzendruber led the way for Goshen as she compiled a team-high 12 digs. Danielle Plank, a junior, totaled 11 digs of her own, with MacKinnon Tracy, a sophomore, and Erin Strock, a sophomore, adding nine digs each. Magnuson and Lindsay McQuinn, first-years, each had one of the Leafs’ two solo blocks with McQuinn and Giger both tallying a pair of block assists.
With the loss, the Maple Leafs record stands at 12-17 (6-10 in conference) for the season. Goshen will look to end a current two-match losing streak on Friday when they take on Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor, Michigan. Goshen’s regular season will conclude on Wednesday when they host the Crossroads League’s top team, Indiana Wesleyan University, in Gunden Gymnasium. Both matches start at 7:00 p.m.
