Goshen, IN — For a shorthanded
team with a single senior on its roster, electing to start the
2005 Goshen College volleyball season with the earliest calendrical
home opener in the 35-year history of the program may not have
conduced itself to the best possible outcome. Still, the Leafs
showed marked signs of improvement as the day went on Thursday
in the Roman Gingerich Center, getting virtually better by the
game while hosting Mount Vernon Nazarene University and Aquinas
College in the season-opening Goshen College Tri-Match.
That improvement was not enough to garner a win in any game — Goshen
was defeated by Mt. Vernon Nazarene 30-9, 30-14, 30-18 in the afternoon’s
first match and by Aquinas 30-25, 30-18, 33-31 in the day’s
final event — but it was enough to earn praise from second-year
head coach Jewel Lehman.
“We knew these matches would be tough season openers this
year, but we feel it is important to schedule strong teams as we
increase
our level of play here,” Lehman said. “Given our abbreviated
preseason (players arrived on campus on Aug. 17), we needed these
matches to identify the best line ups and to work out some of the
glitches that often occur early in team play. Although we were
disappointed we didn’t give (Mt. Vernon Nazarene and Aquinas)
tougher matches, we’re glad for this opportunity to see what
we need to focus practice on for the next week.”
Mt. Vernon Nazarene had no such troubles with the early match date,
in part because they were coming off a pair of wins just a day
earlier: The Cougars beat both Spring Arbor University and Concordia
University in Spring Arbor’s triangular match Wednesday,
helping to get its first match glitches smoothed over. That experience
was apparent early on against Goshen, as the Leafs fell behind
by a 18-2 score before dropping the first game 30-9. And while
Goshen gradually improved to 18 points by the final stanza, it
was clear to Lehman that her players were tense.
“We were tentative in our play and therefore were making
a lot of errors and not moving well on the court,” Lehman
said. “We
had a few strong plays but couldn’t put enough of them together
to gain any confidence or momentum in the games.”
Sophomore Jess Buller helped lead what offense the Leafs were able
to generate, putting up five kills from her outside hitting position.
Newcomer Danielle Haney — a junior member of the Goshen College
women’s basketball team — was impressive in her first
volleyball action, tallying five kills as well. Senior Anna Herdeck
paced the defensive effort, coming up with 11 digs. Sophomore Stephanie
Kennell had eight.
After Mount Vernon Nazarene dispatched Aquinas College 30-27, 30-28,
30-21 in the afternoon’s second match, the Leafs faced off
against the Knights with far better results than in their first
effort. Goshen nearly took game one with a late rally, and forced
Aquinas to extra points in the third game before faltering. The
Leafs had game point on two different occasions in game three,
but missed serves cost the team a chance to secure its first game
of the young season.
Herdeck and Buller again paced the offense, each coming up with
10 kills apiece. Sophomore Carly Feldman, still recuperating from
a freak leg injury in the off-season, placed nine kills to go with
six seven blocks. Freshman Caitlin Helmuth showed sings of defensive
prowess at the setting position, coming up with a team-high 10
digs while dishing out 20 assists. Herdeck provided nine digs,
while the team’s .938 serve receive percentage pleased the
coaching staff.
“Against Aquinas, we were able to settle into our style of
play a bit more,” Lehman said. “The energy and the
perseverance on the court returned and we gained a glimpse into
the potential
we have for this year. Statistically this was a much better match
for us in serve receive, blocking and attacking. Missed serves
really hurt us in this match and this will be one focus in practice
during the next week. We need to spend more time making the connection
between our setter and attackers on the quicks and the second temp
sets.”
Goshen will have plenty of time to hone its skills before its next
match. The Leafs are idle for over a week when the team travels
to Tri-State University on Saturday, Sept. 3 for the Tri-State
Invitational. Goshen will face off against the host Thunder at
10:30 a.m.
“Our defense is strong like it was last year and our serve
receive and blocking will be better than last year,” Lehman
said. “Having
(assistant coach) Lauren Goehring on staff is a great asset as
she gives high level technical and tactical input in the areas
of blocking and attacking. Team captain Anna Herdeck provides much
leadership on the court. While it’s still early, we are excited
about the improvements we’ve made as a team overall. I am
anxious to see what this team can do as we continue to practice
and gel together.”
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  Senior
Anna Herdeck
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