GOSHEN, Ind. – In their season opener, the Goshen men's volleyball team made quick work of the Hiram College Terriers, sweeping them in three sets in Gunden Gymnasium.
 
Goshen was 15-9 last season, and Hiram was 10-2. The teams went back and forth early in the first set. Tied at 11, Goshen went on a 4-0 run and had two more four-point stretches in the set before winning it 25-15.
 
The second set would be a little tighter. The Terriers held a slim 15-14 lead until Goshen scored seven in a row. Hiram brought it within two a couple of times, but the Leafs prevailed, 25-21.
 
The third set was similar to the previous two. The teams were tied at nine before GC went on another spurt, scoring five in a row. For the rest of the set, Hiram was only able to manage a point here or there, while the Leafs were able to sustain long runs. Goshen took the third set 25-14. By the end, they had completed the clean sweep, 25-15, 25-21, 25-14.
 
"What a way to start the season," said head coach Lauren Ford. She stated that starting the season with a win sets the right tone moving forward. "We identified things we need to be better at, but for the most part I love a lot of what we did," she continued. "Also, it's nice to get those nerves out of the way."
 
Lucas Sauder led the team with 14 kills and Alexander Rabadzhiev had ten. Goshen won the aces category 6-0, with three from Brayton Yoder, two from Andy Bennett, and one from Rabadzhiev. Michael Wahl led the team with 24 assists and four blocks. Christian Rodriguez helped Goshen on the defensive end with eight digs.
 
Hiram competes in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference at the Division III level and had a perfect 7-0 conference record in 2021. Five of those seven wins were in three sets. They were also 4-1 on the road last season and look to defend their AMCC championship in 2022. The Terriers are led by Tom Supan, the conference preseason player of the year, but he was held to just one kill tonight and a hitting percentage of -.444.
 
The win marks the first Goshen head coaching win for Ford, who was named the head coach over the summer.
 
The Maple Leafs next matchup is on Friday, January 14, at 3:00 pm against Trine on the campus of Indiana Tech. Then on Saturday, January 15, Goshen will face off against Wabash at 3:30 pm on Trine's campus. The next Goshen home game is a WHAC match against Indiana Tech on Tuesday, January 25, at 7:00 pm.