OCT. 5 — Goshen Pushes Through For First MCC Win
Herdeck puts up career night to lead team in 3-1 win over Huntington

Goshen, IN — On the Goshen College side of the net Wednesday night, the phrase was uttered at least 100 times.

“Keep pushing,” Goshen head coach Jewel Lehman said.

“Keep pushing, ladies,” senior outside hitter Anna Herdeck said.

“Keep pushing,” almost everyone in a Goshen uniform said.

In the end, the comments were foretelling: The Goshen College volleyball team hung on to defeat visiting Mid-Central Conference rival Huntington University by a 30-28, 26-30, 30-26, 30-25 score in the Roman Gingerich Center, giving the team its first MCC win of the season while putting an end to a four-match losing skid in league play. For Lehman, it was a sweet moment, as the second-year coach kept her undefeated record against the Forester program in tact.

“This season we have been in a position to win quite a few matches, but we would play tentatively at the end,” Lehman said. “Tonight we worked hard to stay in a position to win through the middle of the match, and then we did a great job of pushing through to the end. What a great win for us tonight.”

Goshen (3-15, 1-4) began the night as it ended it, playing with greater resolve as the game scores neared the 30-point mark. In the first stanza, Lehman’s squad was able to keep its lead despite a late push from Huntington. In the second game, it was the Foresters that took the early lead and held on, 30-26.

In the final two games, however, Lehman’s squad displayed the kind of perseverance its leader had been searching for. In both frames, Huntington was able to make runs late. In previous matches, Goshen may have folded. Tonight was different. Led by the play and leadership of Herdeck, Goshen was able to get out of defensive rotations that may have beaten them earlier in the season. The team did not defeat itself — an overall serve percentage of .937 with six aces and just seven errors and a serve receive clip of .896 — and was able to, of course, push through to the all-important conference win.

“Early in the match we were able to run some quick sets off the free balls they sent over,” Lehman said. “That was important in establishing a strong offense from the beginning. Defensively, we put up a strong block and came up with some great digs.”

Herdeck was the leader in the latter category, finishing with 20 digs to go with a season-high 23 kills, blasting out those attacks at a remarkable .373 percentage. Sophmore Carly Feldman wasn’t far behind, totaling 12 kills to go with 15 digs and a strong defensive performance at the net. The middle hitter came up with five solo and four assist blocks.

“This week we worked on pursuit of the ball in practice and it came through in the match tonight,” Lehman said. “We were more persistent in chasing the ball and had some saves that we previously would have dropped.”

Lehman was benefited by the return of sophomores Stephanie Kennell and Jess Buller to the lineup, as both made an impact after being sidelined with injuries. Buller returned to the setter position after missing last week’s Taylor University match with a pulled ligament in her foot, while Kennell saw front row action for the first time since Sept. 3 when she suffered a grade two ankle sprain at the Tri-State University Invitational. Buller finished the match with 43 assists on 152 sets, making just three ball handling errors. Kennell, meanwhile, was able to provide a stronger presence at the net, finishing with three kills and two assist blocks. Freshman Betsy Freeman also gave Goshen quality play up front, digging 13 balls while notching seven kills.

“Anna Herdeck had an incredible match for us tonight, and Carly was a force at the net as well,” Lehman said. “Jess was back in the starting setter position after recovering from a sprained tendon last week. She set very well and made intelligent decisions throughout the match.”

Huntington came into the match in fifth place within the MCC standings, but Goshen was able to keep its recent dominance of the Foresters in tact: The Leafs have now defeated Huntington in four of the teams’ last five meetings, with the last Goshen loss coming in the 2003 season. Lehman pushed her career coaching record to 3-0 against the Foresters with Wednesday night’s win.

Goshen will next compete in the massive, 12-team Cornerstone University Golden Eagles Invitational this weekend. The Leafs will open play at Friday at 4 p.m. against Siena Heights University. For a complete tournament schedule and list of teams, click here.