MISHAWAKA, Ind. - Bethel evened out their Crossroads League record as the Maple Leafs went to visit for a U.S. Highway 20 Cup matchup on Wednesday evening. The Pilots prevailed 25-17, 25-18, 25-17.

Goshen's last lead in the first set was at 3-2. And while the Leafs had a scoring stretch late in the set, the Pilots still did enough early on to come out on top. The teams traded runs in the second set. Bethel had a 5-0 run and a couple of 3-0 runs early, and Goshen had a couple 3-0 runs of their own. Bethel finished the set by scoring 11 of the last 17 points, with 25-18 as the final score. 

The strongest performance for GC came in the third set. Kassidy Faler had back to back aces to give Goshen an 8-6 lead, which came after kills by freshmen Amelie Martinez, Nevaeh Benjamin and Addison Ross. Bethel scored five of the next six points and took a two-point lead, but Goshen was still in it at 15-15. The Pilots called a timeout at that point, and they went on a 10-2 run from that point and took the set, and the match.

Bethel had just one ace in the match while Goshen's Kassidy Faler had three on her own - tying her season-high. Amelie Martinez finished with nine kills, tying her most within the last month. She also tied a season-high with three digs. Brenna Spangler led all players on the court with four blocks. It is her fifth match this season and the 23rd of her career where she has posted four or more blocks. Goshen led in blocks 7-4 and the teams tied in digs 39-39. Bethel led in assists 30-27 and kills 33-27. Sydney Stutsman had 13 assists and Kelsie Hankins had ten. Alaina Wolfe led the Leafs in digs with nine.

Bethel currently leads in the U.S. Highway 20 Cup points for this year 3-0. With the loss, Goshen is unable to make the Crossroads League tournament. If the Leafs were to win out and Spring Arbor was to lose their remaining matches, the teams would be tied for the eighth and final spot, but SAU would win the tiebreaker because they won both of the head-to-head matchups. Goshen is at #12 Mount Vernon Nazarene on Saturday, October 25, at 2:00 pm. The match had originally been scheduled for 3:00 pm.