GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - During the AQ Tri-Match held at Aquinas College, the Maple Leafs women's volleyball team lost to Saint Xavier in four sets and Aquinas in three. Aquinas is now 8-0 this season.

Goshen vs Saint Xavier
The first set against Saint Xavier did not look promising for the Maple Leafs. Although Goshen took an early 3-0 lead, the Cougars went up 23-18 and were two points away from taking the first set. However, a kill from Armani Guidry-Austin led the charge for the Leafs. Guidry-Austin had another kill as a part of the 7-0 run and two points came on aces from Jessie Price, a freshman from Nappanee, Indiana. The Leafs rallied to win the set 25-23.

Saint Xavier sought revenge in the second and led from start to finish. They raced off to a 6-1 lead and dominated in the 25-15 win. In the third set, the teams were tied at eight, each looking to gain an edge. SXU did so first and took a 17-11 lead. Goshen had a 5-0 run to pull within one after a Sadie Brenneman ace, but the Cougars scored eight of the next 11 and won 25-19. The Leafs were never quite in it in the fourth set and the Chicago team won in four sets after taking three straight.

Sadie Brenneman led the team with 14 kills and was second in digs with 15. Alaina Wolfe had 16 digs and Kelsie Hankins totaled 32 assists with ten digs. Brenneman and Price had two aces each. Freshman Sami Lard played in two sets with two kills and a .400 hitting percentage.

Goshen vs Aquinas
The Saints kept their streak alive by winning all eight matches this year, all in four sets or fewer. They have won 24 of the 28 sets they've played in this season.

With that being said, the Maple Leafs improved set-by-set against the Saints. The first set was a quick 25-7 win for Aquinas. It started with an 11-7 score until the host ended the set on a 14-0 run. Goshen had twice as many attack errors as they had kills in the set, and five of the Aquinas points came on aces.

The second set was a more respectable 25-15 score. Goshen scored four of the first six points, but the tide changed when a 7-0 Aquinas run took a 7-6 Goshen lead and made it a 14-7 Aquinas advantage. The Saints led 15-6 in the third set but Goshen brought it within three at 19-16. Aquinas prevailed in the end, defeating their third Crossroads League opponent this year in three sets (Huntington, Grace).

Alaina Wolfe had 15 digs for the Leafs. Sadie Brenneman had seven kills and Kelsie Hankins had ten assists.

Aquinas faces their toughest test yet on Friday when they face defending NAIA champion Indiana Wesleyan at the Siena Heights Labor Day Invitational. Goshen is at the Showdown in the Woods at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College this weekend. The first of their five matches over the weekend will be against Franklin College on Friday, August 30, at 2:00 pm EDT. Later that day they'll face Alice Lloyd College at 5:00 pm EDT and Great Lakes Christian College at 8:00 pm EDT.