The Maple Leafs lost both of their games this weekend after falling 3-0 to Taylor on Friday and 3-1 to Spring Arbor on Saturday.
The Leafs traveled to Upland, Indiana to take on the Trojans on their home court before turning around to host the Cougars the following day.The Leafs took their first large lead of the day at 10-5 following a kill from sophomore Elizabeth Breckbill.
Goshen would maintain their distance until a seven-point rally from the Taylor left the Trojans one point away from taking the first set at 20-24.
Two consecutive kills from the Leafs cut the lead to two, but Taylor prevailed as freshman Ryan Czerniak put away one of her match-high 13 kills to end the set 22-25.
The Trojans picked up right where they left off in the second set as they jumped out to a 3-8 lead. The Maple Leafs couldn’t gain any traction after the slow start and fell in the second set by a score of 13-25.
In the third set, the Trojans again looked to be in control early as they scored the first four points of the game. However, the Leafs would not go away easy, sophomore Jennifer Ritchie tallied a kill to tie the game up at 13 a piece.
The Trojans did not flinch as a strong front row attack stretched their lead to five at 18-23. A late push from a resilient Goshen team was not enough to force a fourth set as Taylor would go on to sweep the Leafs by a final score of 23-25.
Ritchie, Breckbill and senior Hallie Vanitvelt lead a balanced Goshen attack with six kills apiece. Senior MacKinnon Tracy led the team with 13 digs; senior Meghan Manley added ten.
The following day, the Maple Leafs played host to Spring Arbor University.
In the first set, neither team took control until a 7-1 run by the Leafs gave them the lead at 17-13. However, the Cougars responded with a 7-1 run of their own to regain the lead at 18-21, and eventually take the first game, 20-25.
The second set was much of the same for the Cougars as they maintained a comfortable lead for the entire set. Costly errors from the Leafs allowed the Cougars to take a 2-0 game lead with a score of 20-25.
Momentum shifted in the third set as Manley aced the Cougar defense in order to stretch the Goshen lead to 7-2.
A late push from Spring Arbor cut the lead to one at 20-19. Three straight kills from sophomore Taylor Eash gave Goshen the lead for good as they forced a fourth set with a score of 25-22.
In the fourth set, the score was knotted up at 10 apiece until Spring Arbor went on a 7-1 storm. The Cougars took the fourth and final set, 15-25 to end the game.
Vanitvelt led the team with 12 kills; Breckbill added 10 and finished with four blocks. Freshman Naomi Willis tallied 18 assists.
Following a busy weekend, Goshen drops to 7-13 on the season and 1-7 in the conference.
The Maples Leafs’ next test will come Wednesday as they host Bethel College at 7 p.m.