The men’s volleyball team’s sideline is looking a little different these days.  Former assistant coach Lexa Magnuson has stepped in as the acting head coach of the team with head coach, Jim Daugherty, on leave, as stated in an email from Gilberto Pérez, vice president of student life and dean of students.  Magnuson came into the season as a first year assistant coach for the men’s volleyball team, but she is not new to Goshen College. Magnuson played volleyball at GC from 2013-16 and served as an assistant coach on the women’s volleyball team for the 2017 and 2018 seasons....

By Zack Begly • March 18, 2021 • Sports

The Goshen College men’s volleyball team is officially off to its best start in program history. The team has jump-started their season with an 8-4 record, and are currently riding a three-game win streak following last weekend’s matchups against Judson University, Webber International University and Lincoln College, where they beat all three teams 3-0.  Since the season began, the Leafs have managed to climb their way to the top in several statistical categories. The Leafs are currently ranked number two in total digs (450) and total blocks (103), number three in total service aces (75), and number seven in total...

By Tavione McClain • February 19, 2021 • Sports

The Goshen College men’s volleyball kicked off their season on Jan. 8, taking on the second ranked Campbellsville University. After taking the first two sets decisively, the Maple Leafs came up short of the upset, dropping the final three.  The team is coming off of a promising 2020 season where they went 15-6, and 3-3 in conference before their season was cut short due to COVID-19. The Maple Leafs are looking to build onto that successful 2020 campaign in the new year.  After their loss to open the season, Goshen bounced back to take down Trinity Christian College 3-0 on...

By Gabe Kermode • January 21, 2021 • Sports

The Goshen College men’s volleyball team came out of a busy weekend with the team’s first winning record in program history on Friday, Feb. 7. Although the Maple Leafs lost their first game of the Judson University Early Bird Tournament against Aquinas College, they then went on to set the program’s first three-match win streak.  The Leafs lost to ninth-ranked Aquinas in three sets before defeating tournament host, Judson University, 3-0.  Alexander Rabadzhiev, a sophomore, led both of Friday’s matches in kills, with 10 in the first match and 12 in the second. Jack Paraha, a freshman, added 15 kills...

By Emily Cummings • February 16, 2020 • Sports

The men’s volleyball team travelled to ninth-ranked Aquinas College on Saturday, Jan. 25. Alexander Rabadzhiev led the team with 15 kills in their loss in three sets (25-18, 25-19, 25-23).  Four Maple Leafs, Rabadzhiev, Elias Baer, Nick Yutzy and Christian Rodriguez, tied with six digs a piece.  Aquinas jumped out to early leads in the first two sets behind efficient hitting and a block that stymied the Maple Leaf hitters. It was much of the same in the third set until Goshen had an eight point comeback late in the set, behind Baer’s serve, to get within one, 23-24. It...

By Emily Cummings • January 31, 2020 • Sports

The Goshen College Men’s volleyball team looks to make drastic improvements as they launch their third season in history (and second season as a varsity team) this week.   Last year was certainly a learning experience for the fledgling team. The Maple Leafs finished the season with an 8-21 record overall and an 0-8 record in conference play.  This year, the team is excited to get into their regular season schedule and see what kind of improvements they can make. In just one day, they will open the 2020 season with a road trip to Trinity Christian College. Michael Wahl, a...

By William Troyer • January 16, 2020 • Sports

The men’s volleyball team traveled to Siena Heights University for a four game tournament last weekend, which kicked off with two games on Friday. In the first game, the volleyball team squared off with Thomas More College. The first set was a closely contested matchup, filled with runs by each team. The Maple Leafs jumped out to a 10-4 lead. The Saints then responded with a run of their own to close the deficit back to just one, at 12-11. The Maple Leafs again would distance themselves, grabbing a 21-14 lead. The Saints battled back, but didn’t have enough in...

By William Troyer • March 23, 2019 • Sports

Despite close set scores, the Leafs dropped two matches 3-0 to Siena Heights University (SHU) and Geneva College on Saturday. In the first match against Siena Heights, a team receiving votes in the national poll, SHU opened with a quick 25-15 victory in the first set, propelled by 15 kills and a 66.7 percent hitting. The second set, however, proved more competitive. While the Saints preserved their lead in kills, with 14 to Goshen’s 10, the number of errors committed by each team were equivalent with seven each. The second set was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team gaining more...

By Evan Beck • February 23, 2019 • Sports

The Goshen College men’s volleyball team hit the road in their second match of the season on Friday, Jan.18, traveling to Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Illinois. The team, coming off of a home loss to Lawrence Technological University, came out ready to avenge their loss. In the first set, the Maple Leafs jumped out to a quick 11-6 advantage. The Maple Leafs held onto that lead until it was tied at 20 a piece. The Maple Leafs would take the Trolls all the way down to the end but could not hang on. They dropped the first set...

By William Troyer • January 26, 2019 • Sports

Aleksander Rabadzhiev was studying in his house in Bulgaria, just like any other night, when he received an email from his agent about a school called Goshen College. Not knowing anything about the college, Rabadzhiev paused his homework and opened a new tab on his computer to do some research. “I went to the website, checked it out and turned in my application form,” Rabadzhiev said. “I started contacting the coach, and that was it.” 19-year-old Rabadzhiev dreamed of coming to the United States not only to further his educational interest in medicine but also to advance his already decorated...

By Nick Yutzy • November 28, 2018 • Sports

Last Friday the men’s volleyball team had an exhibition match at 8:00 p.m. as part of the homecoming celebrations. The men won all three sets during the 45-minute scrimmage versus Lawrence Technological University. Men’s volleyball is a new addition to Goshen College athletics this year, with the idea for the program coming from Josh Gleason, director of athletics. “We were in the process of putting together a strategic plan…of how athletics could be a tool for recruitment [and] how it fit our mission,” stated Gleason. Gleason saw that volleyball was a popular sport in many of Goshen’s recruiting regions and...

By Nathan Pauls • October 12, 2017 • News

This past November, the Goshen College athletic department announced that it will become the fifth four-year school in Indiana to offer intercollegiate men’s varsity volleyball, starting in the 2018-2019 academic year. The announcement came as part of an ongoing plan by GC to boost enrollment and revenue. The plan has already begun to increase investment in facilities and staffing along with the expansion of roster sizes in all offered sports. “An enormous factor in a student’s college choice is the opportunity to continue to compete in the sports they love and have invested so much time and effort into,” said...

By Chandler Ingle • March 16, 2017 • Sports