GOSHEN, Ind. — Taylor Eash led the Goshen College women's volleyball team in kills for the second straight match Saturday afternoon, but the Maple Leafs dropped a Crossroads League decision to Bethel University 25-20, 25-12, 25-19 at GC's Gunden Gymnasium.
Madison Coles added 3 blocks and 4 kills for the Maple Leafs while Maddy Payne had 9 and 5 respectively to lead Bethel (9-2). Payton Hart added 8 kills and 10 digs for the Pilots.
Bethel hit at least .222 in all three sets while Goshen (0-10) balanced its 22 kills with 19 errors. The Pilots outkilled the Maple Leafs 45-22, had 8 blocks to their hosts' 4, and posted all four aces in the match.
After 10 ties in the first 15 chances, Bethel won three of the next four points to take a two-point edge at 18-16. After trading three rallies, the Pilots ripped off five points in a row including two Cheyanne Seymour kills to get six set points. Goshen saved two before a Seymour winner ended the set.
Bethel never trailed in the second set, winning seven of eight points to start and pulling ahead 16-5 before Goshen won seven of the remaining 16 points.
The third set started similarly with the Pilots taking seven of the first nine points, but GC retaliated to take eight of the next 10 and lead 10-9 on a block by Coles and Felicity Elkin. A six-point Pilot run on Rachel Vendl's serve put the guests up 16-12 before Coles and Christina Towne posted a block to cap three straight GC points.
Unfortunately for the Maple Leafs, Bethel scored five of the next six points to go up 21-16 on its way to closing out the match.
The win gives Bethel a 2¾-1¼ lead in the U.S. Highway 20 Cup rivalry trophy standings. The series continues with return fixtures in men's and women's soccer next Saturday.
The path does not immediately get easier for the Maple Leafs, who play three of their next four matches away from the friendly confines of Ruth Gunden Gymnasium. Goshen travels to Marion, Indiana, to open that stretch Wednesday against seventh-ranked Indiana Wesleyan University. First serve is set for 7 p.m. in Luckey Arena.
