Maple Leafs Fall To #16 Taylor University In Four Sets
November 4, 2009
Junior Brittany Herschberger
UPDATE: Goshen has officially been awarded the No. 3 seed for the MCC Tournament and will host #6 seed Bethel College at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday (11/10).
UPLAND, Ind. – The Goshen College volleyball team was unable to pull off a shocker as they dropped a 19-25, 9-25, 25-22, 13-25 decision to #16 ranked Taylor University Wednesday night in Upland, Ind.
They will, however, take some pleasure in the smaller victories. The Leafs were able to snatch a single set from the Trojans for the first time since the opening round of the MCC Tournament in 2001. Taylor dropped just five sets during conference play this season on way to their undefeated regular season.
Despite the loss, the Maple Leafs still earned at least a No. 4 seed and a home match for this year’s MCC Tournament Quarterfinals next week. It will be just the second time in program history that the Maple Leafs have earned a home postseason match in the MCC Tournament.
Goshen will have to wait until the conclusion of the University of Saint Francis vs. Huntington University match Thursday night to know whether they will be the No. 3 seed and host Bethel College or No. 4 and host Spring Arbor University. Either way, the Leafs will be at home on Tuesday for a 7:00 p.m. scheduled first serve.
Back to Taylor on Tuesday where the biggest difference in the match was efficiency at the net. The Trojans distinct size advantage caused problems for the Leafs all night as the tallied just one block to six by Taylor.
Goshen also managed to hit at just an .064 clip as a team with 38 kills and 28 attacking errors. The Trojans, meanwhile, hit 24% and pounded out 58 kills to just 19 hitting errors.
“There is a reason they are ranked No. 16 in the country,” first-year head coach Jim Routhier said. “They are very big and talented. We played very well at times, but you have to be more consistent when you play a team as strong at Taylor.”
It was that consistency that hurt the Leafs as all night they struggled to stop large runs by the Trojans. Up 7-4 early in the first set, Taylor used a 11-3 streak before holding off Goshen 25-19. Again in the second set, it was an 11-0 run that put the Leafs down by two sets. Even in the third set where the Leafs were victorious, Taylor used a 13-5 streak to get back into it.
Junior Peni Acayo led the Leafs with 13 kills, while sisters Brittany and Kelsey Herschberger combined for 41 digs. Senior Allison Hawkins added 19 assists and 11 digs for Goshen.
The Maple Leafs remain a confident bunch as they head back home. Goshen is a perfect 7-0 and have not dropped a single set at the Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center this season.
