Box Score AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Christy Swartzendruber turned in a team-high 13 kills, one of three Goshen College players to post double figures in that category, and Lisa Rodriguez added 27 assists as the Maple Leafs knocked off Rochester College in four sets.
The hosts won the first set 25-16 as Goshen struggled with eight attack errors, but GC turned in 44 kills and nine errors combined over the remaining three frames as it cruised to a 16-25, 25-23, 25-14, 25-18 win at Oakland Christian High School. The teams met three days earlier in the Concordia Kickoff Classic: for the second time in as many matches, Rochester won the first set and lost in four.
Four Goshen players hit .300 or better: Swartzendruber posted a .542 mark, while Darienne Maust checked in at .435 with 11 kills, Lindsay McQuinn was .350 with 10 spikes and Hallie Vanitvelt hit .300 with seven winners. For the match, the Maple Leafs hit .280.
Three members of that quartet are in their first year at Goshen: Swartzendruber is a junior transfer, while Maust and McQuinn are true freshmen.
"Our two freshman middle hitters looked like seniors tonight and Christy really took over on the outside," said Goshen coach Jim Routhier. "Tonight may have been the best we've looked all season. We really took control of the net and could run any offense we wanted – and we did!"
Tuesday's setting performance ratcheted Rodriguez up to 1,389 assists for her career after five matches of her junior season. The Modoc, Indiana, native needs 15 more to pass Jessica Buller and reach the top 10 in school history.
Goshen (3-2) managed 9.5 blocks on the night. Maust and Meghan Gerke each had three solos and an assist. Five different players posted aces.
The Maple Leafs continue their season-opening seven-match road trip on Thursday with a visit to Purdue University Northwest. While first serve remains at 6 p.m. Eastern time (5 p.m. local), the match will be played at the Fitness-Recreation Center in Hammond, not in Westville as originally scheduled.