Marion, IN — It was another
near-miss for the Goshen College women’s volleyball team
at Mid-Central Conference foe Indiana Wesleyan University Wednesday
night, as the team opened with a hard-fought win in game one
but could not keep the pace in a 32-30, 22-30, 21-30, 18-30 loss
to the host Wildcats. Goshen (4-19, 1-5) put forth a strong effort
in the match’s first two stanzas, but mental errors and
fundamental mistakes hurt the team’s chances as the match
wore on, according to head coach Jewel Lehman.
“Our level of intensity continues to increase every game
and we are pleased with this push the team is making here at the
end of
the season, and when we sharpen our passes and reduce the number
of times we are aced we’ll start walking away with match
wins,” Lehman said.
Those categories highlighted the downfall for Lehman’s team
on Wednesday night, as after a solid two-game opening Goshen struggled.
Indiana Wesleyan rattled off eight aces in the third game and sixth
in the fourth, giving the Wildcats the opportunity to put points
on the board without a chance for a Leafs’ rebut.
“We stayed with them as best we could (in the third and fourth
games), but they scored points in bunches and we weren’t
able to match their point runs after we got the ball back,” Lehman
said. “Our serve receive went down considerably, and that
cost us.”
It was quite the contrary at the match’s outset, as a determined
Goshen team opened with stellar play in clutch situations to pull
out a 32-30 win in game one. Lehman’s team battled to a 30-29
deficit with the Wildcats holding serve, only to side out and score
the final two points to momentarily stun the host squad.
“We came out very strong,” Lehman said. “Both
teams were passing and attacking the ball well in the first game.
We
pulled ahead but let them battle back into it, then we fought to
regain the lead until they took a one-point lead for game point.
We were able to play perfectly in scoring the final two points
for the win.”
Lehman’s team continued that level of play in the second
game, but Wesleyan had more answers. Despite a solid defensive
effort from the Leafs, the Warriors took the second game by a 30-22
count behind strong overall play.
“Give them credit, they responded after dropping the first
game,” Lehman
said. “Wesleyan was able to take the lead with very accurate
passes, good sets and powerful hits. We played well defensively
but they earned the win.”
Sophomore Carly Feldman was the lead charge throughout the match
for Goshen, finishing with team highs in both kills (14) and digs
(16). She attacked at a .250 percentage, tallying one solo and
three assist blocks at the net. Senior Anna Herdeck wasn’t
far behind, bringing 12 kills and nine digs, serving without error
19 times. Sophomore Jessica Buller also played particularly well
in a variety of areas, running the offense from the setter position
(121 sets for 29 assists) while also doing damage at the net: Buller
had eight kills on just 12 attempts (a .667 attack percentage)
while combining with teammates for two assist blocks.
“Carly had a good defensive game overall,” Lehman said. “Jess
ran the offense well and took charge at the net at critical points
in the game. Each Goshen player had plays that kept our team in
the game.”
Goshen will next travel to the west side of Chicago to compete
in this weekend’s Judson College Invitational. The team will
first face-off against the host school Friday night, with match
time slated for 7 p.m. For a complete look at invitational teams
and match times, click here.
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  Sophomore
Carly Feldman
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