MISHAWAKA, Ind. — Haylee Pennington led the Goshen College women's volleyball team with 6 kills Wednesday as the Maple Leafs lost a three-set match to Bethel University in Crossroads League and U.S. Highway 20 Cup action at BU's Wiekamp Athletic Center. The Pilots won 25-15, 25-8, 25-15.

Naomi Willis led the Maple Leafs with 16 assists and 7 digs while Emily Lynch and Sadie Brenneman each recorded 4 kills and a block apiece. Lynch also led the team with an ace.

Bethel (19-5, 8-4), which received voted in the NAIA coaches poll released Wednesday morning, outhit Goshen, posting 30 kills to the Maple Leafs' 19 and hitting .290 while holding its foe to fewer kills than hitting errors. The Pilots also had 8 aces and 9 blocks, racking up 17 points to Goshen's 4 in those categories.

BU opened the match on a scoring spree, taking a double-digit lead in the minimum 10 rallies, though the teams traded points and never had a run of longer than three points in either direction for the rest of the set. Another 16-2 run, which included kills from three different players, accounted for much of the second stanza. Madison Coles' block got Goshen (3-19, 0-11) back within 9-7 in the third set, but Madyson Beaver and Jackeline Fernandez served out runs for BU as it took a 20-9 lead.

Bethel's win gave it a 2-1 lead in the U.S. Highway 20 Cup, the rivalry trophy between the two schools, with competition complete in women's volleyball and men's and women's tennis. A minimum of 7¼ points are required to win the cup since the two schools share 14 sports, creating the possibility of a 7-7 tie.

Goshen steps out of the Crossroads League for six of its next seven matches, beginning this weekend with a tri-match at Rochester University. Goshen will play Cornerstone University at 3 p.m. and the host Warriors at 5 p.m. on Saturday at Garth Pleasant Arena in Rochester Hills, Michigan.