HUNTINGTON, Ind. – It took a hour and a half bus ride each way, five long sets, and a lot of grit and determination, but the Maple Leafs got their first Mid-Central College Conference win of the season in a 25-22, 25-22, 25-27, 28-30, 15-8 win over host Huntington University Tuesday night.
After starting the conference season with a tough three-set loss to defending MCC co-champions Taylor University (click here for related article), Goshen came out strong against Huntington to open a two-set lead.
"We played fairly well the first two games. We were a bit ahead for most of the games and did a good job of pushing through to the end," explained fourth-year head coach Jewel Lehman. "They had a lot of rowdy fans in the gym, but our players stayed focused most of the time. Mentally, we are much tougher than last year."
That mental toughness has been evident numerous times already this season. In their very first match of the 2008 season, the Leafs were tied at one set a piece to a national ranked opponent. When it would be easy for a young team to crumble, Goshen won the next two sets for the upset win (click here for related article). Again, at the Chicago Crossover Tournament, the Leafs found themselves down one set to host Illinois Tech. In front of a loud home crowd, Goshen rattled off the next three sets for the win (click here for related article).
On Tuesday night, the Maple Leafs would again face some adversity, and again they would come through in the clutch.
Down two sets, Huntington stepped up their defense and took a long third set 27-25 and an even longer fourth set 30-28.
"I felt like we let up in the third game," said Lehman. "We did fight with them through each long rally, but at the end of the third and fourth set, we made one or two critical and unnecessary mistakes. Against the strong teams we can't afford to have any miscommunication or poor decisions at the end."
Now tied at two sets each – with the Huntington fans loving the comeback of their Forresters – the mental toughness of the Maple Leafs came through. Goshen jumped to a quick lead and never looked back as they took the final set 15-8 to finish off the match.
"I was very impressed with the way our players maintained their composure and came out strong and confident in the fifth set," Lehman added. "I have to credit our whole team, but we recognize that Cassie Greives serving was instrumental in getting us off to a good start in the short 15 point fifth set."
Grieves had several aces early in that last set and totaled a match-high seven on the night. Sophomore Peni Acayo again pounded a match-high 23 kills to go with six total blocks.
Junior Brittany Herschberger added 16 digs and nine kills, while Katelyn Yoder contributed 11 kills and 17 digs.
"Everyone on the team is contributing whether they are on the floor or not," Lehman added. "The players have been pushing each other in practice and competing for starting positions each game. This has added some stress to individuals, but has picked up our level of play as a team."
The Maple Leafs will take a short break from MCC play to take part in the Manchester College Tournament this weekend. They return to MCC play when they host Indiana Wesleyan on Tuesday.
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