GOSHEN, Ind. – Momentum in a volleyball match can turn in an instant.
With set point in the first frame – against visiting NAIA #22 Indiana Wesleyan – the Leafs made a few miscues and could not close out the Wildcats. What was a huge confidence booster for the highly-ranked Indiana Wesleyan squad, did the exact opposite to an upstart Goshen team. It depleted them.
The Wildcats went on for a straight-set 27-25, 25-21, 25-15 victory to stay undefeated early in Mid-Central College Conference play.
The missed opportunity and subsequent loss left a bitter taste in the mouths of the Maple Leafs, so much so that it forced numerous players to stay more than an hour after the match was finished to start work on correcting their mistakes.
"We started out very strong tonight," said head coach Jewel Lehman. "Our talent was coming through, the passes were accurate and it allowed us to vary the offense at the beginning."
"Our back row defense was tough and digging up quite a few hits," added Lehman. "We were in control of much of that first game, but we did not seal the win and allowed them back in it."
Up 24-23 at set point, the Maple Leafs had a pair of attacking errors before a passing miscue gave the Cougars the first set. A very experienced and historically successful team, Indiana Wesleyan capitalized and made sure to put the match away in the next two sets.
"We began to struggle with passing and that translated into negative attack percentages by several of our key players," explained Lehman. Goshen hit just 0.9% for the match after consistently hitting around 20% in 14 matches coming in.
According to Lehman, "We need to practice harder and tougher and learn how to handle pressure. Athletics is about pressure...life is about pressure...coming through in key moments when someone is counting on you. We need to learn how to do a better job in those situations."
All is not lost for the Maple Leafs. Despite the bad feeling of a loss like tonight's, Goshen has finished the toughest part of its schedule. In three Mid-Central College Conference matches, the Leafs have already played both of the co-champions from a year ago. They also now have a week and a half off before their next match on October 3 when they host Purdue University – North Central.
"I have some strategies to implement in practice to correct the mental weakness we have struggled with in the last week and a half," concluded Lehman.
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