FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The women's volleyball team had three close sets on the road at Saint Francis Wednesday night but came up short – 25-22, 25-20, 25-19. The Maple Leafs vastly improved since hosting the Cougars on September 18^th. Goshen was outscored in that game 75-42 but scored 19 more points at Saint Francis to only be outscored by 14 for the match.
 
Both teams were within a few points of each other for the majority of all three sets. Goshen came out strong – building a 6-3 lead in the first set. However, this would be the last time for a while that either team would have a three-point lead. Goshen and Saint Francis traded points back and forth as neither team took more than a two-point lead until they tied at 19. After that, the Cougars scored four additional points to take a 23-19 lead. Despite the Leafs scoring a couple more times when Saint Francis had a set point, Goshen lost the set by three.
 
Goshen built another lead in the second set. Gwyn Bellamy's ace gave the Maple Leafs a 3-0 lead, which they would hold until it was 12-11. Saint Francis came roaring back with a 12-4 run of their own and had a 23-16 lead. Again, the Leafs answered twice after the Cougars had set point, but Saint Francis held for a 25-20 second set win.  
 
Down two sets to none, the Maple Leafs were down but not out. They built up a 9-6 lead in the third set. And when Saint Francis displayed a 5-0 scoring run, Goshen still battled back until it was tied at 19. But at that point, the Cougars were able to take advantage of some Goshen attack errors and sealed the deal with a kill by Paige Fortkamp to win 25-19.
 
Goshen had a team hitting percentage of .200 for the match, which is the team's highest since hitting .247 on September 4^th in a win at Calumet College of St. Joseph. It is also the third-highest mark for the Leafs this season. Emily Lynch led Goshen with ten kills. Christina Towne had her second-highest digs total this season with 13. Madison Coles led the squad with two blocks.
 
It was Senior Night for Saint Francis, and their senior Madison Candler had 28 assists to lead all players.
 
This Friday, Goshen is back in action in Rochester Hills, Michigan for a tri-match at Rochester University. At 4:00 pm the Leafs will take on Northwestern Ohio and at 6:00 pm they'll challenge the host - Rochester. Note that previously Rochester had been scheduled for the 4:00 game and UNOH was at 6:00, but that has been switched. Saturday will be your last chance to watch the women's volleyball team at home this season as well as an opportunity to recognize our seniors with us. The Senior Day game will be at 1:00 pm on October 23 against Saint Xavier.