BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – The men's volleyball team returns from a late night at the Olivet Nazarene Quad with two more wins under its belt to remain undefeated at 4-0. Goshen beat (RV) Trinity Christian College in five sets in the first match and then beat Olivet Nazarene 3-1 in their second match.
The Trolls were 15-5 last season and received votes in the NAIA preseason coaches poll. Both teams had a phenomenal first set. Goshen had 17 kills, no errors, and a hitting percentage of .654. Trinity Christian had 16 kills of their own and a hitting percentage at .419. The Leafs scored five of the last six points to take the first set 25-22.
The Trolls were more dominant in the second set, going on to win 25-16. Then it was back to Goshen for the third set, taking that one 25-18. On the brink of defeat, Trinity Christian decisively took the fourth set 25-14. It was still going their way early in the fifth set when they led 5-3. But with
Michael Wahl serving, Goshen rattled off ten straight points, forcing the Trolls to use two timeouts during their run.
Lucas Sauder and
Ian Fox had some critical blocks down the stretch, and
Alexander Rabadzhiev had three kills during that time. The Leafs finished the set, and the match, with a kill followed by an ace from Rabadzhiev. GC took the match 3-2 – 25-22, 16-25, 25-18, 14-25, 15-6.
Michael Wahl reached a milestone during Goshen's first win this evening. He now has recorded over 2,000 assists while at Goshen. Wahl was at 1,998 coming into the quad. He had 87 assists between the two matches today, which puts him at 2,085 at Goshen. Including a season at Lees-McRae College, his career total is 2,297.
Wahl had 46 assists against TCC. Rabadzhiev had 24 kills, and
Lucas Sauder had 17.
Brayton Yoder led the team with 21 digs, and
Ian Fox had five total blocks.
Next, the Maple Leafs took on the host of the quad – Olivet Nazarene. The Tigers are in their first season as a men's volleyball program and were still looking for their first program win. This game against Goshen was their second home game ever – their first was earlier in the day against Indiana Tech.
The first set was back and forth. There were 12 ties, and they were tied as late as 23-23 until the Tigers took the final two points. But the Leafs built a quick 5-1 lead in the second set and led 15-6 at one point. Goshen breezed by for a 25-13 win in set two. The teams were tied at 11 in the third until Goshen took a second straight set, this time 25-20.
In the fourth, it seemed like the home team might push it to a fifth set. Olivet Nazarene led 9-4 and forced the Maple Leafs to use a timeout. Goshen slowly crept back up on the Tigers and took their first lead of the set at 20-19. ONU wouldn't take the lead again, and Goshen capped it off, 25-22. They won their second match of the day 3-1 – 23-25, 25-13, 25-20, 25-22.
Wahl recorded 41 assists, and Fox had seven total blocks.
Andy Bennett notched three aces, and Yoder led the way with 22 digs. In the second match, there were 15 kills for Sauder and 12 for Rabadzhiev.
"I'm pleased with our mental toughness tonight," shared head coach
Lauren Ford. "We didn't fold, and that's a win." Ford said that maintaining a high level of play and being consistent is one of the team's goals. She gave credit to both opponents and also loved the fight from her team.
On Friday, January 21, Goshen will play at (RV) Aquinas in Grand Rapids, Michigan at 7:00 pm. Then GC will be at home on Tuesday, January 25 at 7:00 pm to host #9 Indiana Tech.
