GOSHEN, Ind. - In their home opener, the Maple Leafs women's volleyball team gave the crowd their money's worth with a thrilling five-set win over Trinity Christian. The Leafs won 23-25, 25-16, 25-19, 20-25, 15-12.

Goshen had an early two-point lead in the first set, but the Trolls kept a slight edge throughout most of the set. In the second, the Maple Leafs used a 6-0 run to boost a 16-14 lead to a 22-14 lead, culminating in a 25-16 win. Goshen had an early 7-2 lead in the third, lost the lead, and then came back to win by six.

Trinity Christian didn't give up despite their one-set deficit. With a 21-20 lead in the fourth set, they scored the last four points to win 25-20. GC led 7-5 in the fifth when TC scored three in a row to take the lead as the teams switched sides. But after that, the Leafs scored eight of the next 12. They had nine kills and two attack errors and their best hitting percentage of any set.

Goshen was 0-3 in their prior matchups with Trinity Christian, with losses in 2011, 2014 and 2021. The 53 assists by the Leafs were their most in a match since September 8, 2023, against St. Ambrose. Kelsie Hankins had 41 assists with 11 digs, Alaina Wolfe had 18 digs, Sadie Brenneman had 16 and Kassidy Faler added 14. First-year Armani Guidry-Austin had 14 kills and a .258 hitting percentage. Bailee Brown led the team with four aces, and Brenna Spangler led the block assists category with six.

Goshen is 3-2 and will return home on September 7. The Leafs travel to Nebraska for the GoSarpy.com Classic on August 23 and 24 to face four opponents, three receiving votes or being ranked in the coaches poll.