HUNTINGTON, Ind. — Six Goshen College volleyball players posted five or more kills as the Maple Leafs pulled above .500 in the Crossroads League with a deceptively tight three-set win Friday evening at Huntington University.

While Goshen (6-4, 2-1) won the match's first six points and finished with a 78-70 edge in total points, Huntington (5-5, 1-2) came back to tie the opening stanza at 10 and neither team led by more than four points in any set in the 25-21, 25-23, 28-26 win.

Whitney Peterson led Goshen with eight kills, followed by seven and six from former Elkhart Memorial High School teammates Lexa Magnuson and Kylie Giger respectively. Sydney Cruz, Darienne Maust and Christy Swartzendruber each added five.

The Maple Leafs finished the first set with kills from Magnuson and Peterson sandwiched around an attack error by the hosts to go from a 22-21 lead to 25-21. The next two stanzas were a bit more tense, as the second was tied seven times and saw Huntington lead 23-21 before dropping the last four points, and the third required extra points after ties at 25 and 26.

"I am pleased with the way we took control of the match from the first point and never let up," said Goshen coach Jim Routhier. "We controlled the net. Our defense was outstanding and kept the ball alive for the offense to put it away. Huntington had some great runs but the team stayed calm and always came back to gain control of the set. This is the best two-match run we have put together this season, but the conference says we have to play 15 more, so we need to celebrate the win and then focus on Grace for tomorrow."

Goshen finished the match with four fewer kills but 10 fewer attack errors. The Maple Leafs also finished with a 57-44 edge in digs, paced by 15 from MacKinnon Tracy. Hallie Vanitvelt led GC with 15 assists while Maust added a team-high three blocks.

The Maple Leafs make another road trip on Saturday, visiting their closest geographic rival in Grace College. First serve is set for 3 p.m. at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center in Winona Lake.