SAINT MARY OF THE WOODS, Ind. - After capping off the Showdown in the Woods with two more wins on Saturday, the Goshen women's volleyball team is 6-2 to start the season. They beat Alice Lloyd in three sets before taking down IUPUC (Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus) in four.

The 6-2 start is tied for their best eight-game start to a season since the 1987 team started 7-1. First-year head coach Jeff Phillips is one of only two coaches in the program's history to start a tenure with a 6-2 record. The other is current associate professor of kinesiology, Val Hershberger. The Leafs are also on a four-match win streak, the longest since 2015.

The Maple Leafs got better as the match went on against Alice Lloyd. They won the first set 25-20, then 25-13 in the second before dominating the third set 25-5. Goshen had 14 kills in the third set, while Alice Lloyd had none. GC also displayed an insane hitting percentage of .632 that set.

Sadie Brenneman had ten kills and 13 digs, Alaina Wolfe had 16 digs and five aces, and Kelsie Hankins totaled 33 assists. Alice Lloyd had nine total assists as a team.

Against IUPUC, Goshen won the first two sets 25-22 and 25-19. The Crimson Pride answered by winning the third set 25-21, but GC recovered nicely in the fourth with a 25-13 win.

Gwyn Bellamy, Emily Lynch and Sadie Brenneman all had double-digit kills for Goshen. Alaina Wolfe tallied 18 digs, and Kelsie Hankins provided 39 assists. Wolfe and Kassidy Faler each had three aces.

After playing five matches in two days, Goshen is off until Wednesday, September 6, when they face Grace on the road at 7:00 pm. It is their first Crossroads League test of the season.