GOSHEN, Ind. – A dominant 25-18 first-set win put the Maple Leafs out in front of the Bethel Pilots on Friday night in a U.S. Highway 20 Cup matchup, but the tables turned as the visitors took the following three sets decidedly. Bethel is receiving votes in the NAIA coaches poll.
 
Goshen had a .303 hitting percentage in the first set compared to .069 for Bethel. Emily Lynch, Amy Baca, and Kia Knox-Dawkins combined for 14 kills in the set, and the team had just four errors. With a 19-16 lead, Goshen scored six of the next eight points to win by a score of 25-18. The win addressed the elephant in the room, as the Leafs snapped a 29-set losing streak overall and a 40-set losing streak in conference.
 
However, Bethel (14-7, 6-3 CL) came back ferociously in the following three sets. The Pilots won 25-14 in the second and third sets and 25-15 in the fourth. The script flipped in the last three sets, as Bethel had a .434 hitting percentage, and Goshen was at .105. The Pilots had eight errors in the first set but just nine in the final three combined.
 
Lynch led all players on the court with 15 kills - her second-highest total this season and her best mark in conference play. With two errors on 26 attempts, she had a hitting percentage of .500 for the night, a season-high for her. Lynch leads the team with 201 kills this year, surpassing her total of 192 from last season. Her 2.82 kills per set during conference games is 12^th in the Crossroads League. She has averaged 11.4 winners per match in the last five matches and is hitting .331 in that span.
 
Baca recorded four block assists and four kills. Kennedy Land had 11 digs and three aces. Sadie Brenneman and Knox-Dawkins each had eight kills, and Sydney Stutsman added 26 assists. Goshen had lost 14 straight sets against BU before shutting down that streak tonight.
 
The Maple Leafs (2-21, 0-9 CL) are right back in action on Saturday, October 1, at 3:00 pm against the Grace Lancers in Ruth Gunden Gymnasium.