GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Maple Leafs men's volleyball team picked up their first loss of the season at the hands of the Aquinas Saints on the road Friday night. Aquinas took the match in three sets, winning 25-21, 25-13, and 25-14.
Lucas Sauder led all players with 15 kills.
The start of the first set saw the teams either tied or with a narrow lead in Goshen's favor. With the teams tied at 11, the Saints won four straight points. The Maple Leafs tied it back up again at 18, only to be followed by another four-point run by the home team. Aquinas went on to take the first set 25-21 with four aces and three blocks.
The Saints were in control from start to finish in the second set. After a 1-1 tie, Aquinas led the rest of the way and cruised to a 25-13 victory. It was much of the same in the third. Goshen led 3-2, but Aquinas took it from there. The Leafs made things interesting with a 5-0 run, during which
Lucas Sauder delivered three kills. Goshen brought the set to within two points and forced a Saints timeout, but Aquinas responded with eight straight points of their own. They won the final set 25-14, and the match 3-0. Aquinas recorded a hitting percentage of .682 in the last set with 15 kills and no attack errors.
Michael Wahl led Goshen (4-1, 0-1 WHAC) with 23 assists and seven digs.
Alexander Rabadzhiev tallied nine kills, an ace, and a block assist. Along with his 15 kills, Sauder had a .344 hitting percentage.
Brayton Yoder added four digs, two assists, and an ace.
Daniel De La Rosa led the Saints with six aces – they had 13 as a team. Chase Gil had three solo blocks for Aquinas, Matthew Richmond had 33 assists, and Kelsey Yogi led the defensive effort with 11 digs.
This was the first home match of the season for Aquinas. Although their first four games were all in Grand Rapids, they were at Cornerstone University as part of the MNVI Invitational. The Saints (5-0, 1-0 WHAC) have now won 15 of the 18 sets they've played this season. They are receiving votes in the NAIA preseason poll.
Goshen will look to bounce back against another formidable WHAC opponent on Tuesday at home. The Maple Leafs host #9 Indiana Tech at 7:00 pm on January 25. The Warriors are 6-0 so far this season.
