MISHAWAKA, Ind. - Women's volleyball fought back from a two set deficit to force the game to go all five sets, however couldn't complete the comeback against the Bethel University Pilots in the first U.S. Highway 20 Cup action of the 2026-27 school year. The Maple Leafs lost 25-7, 25-20, 21-25, 16-25, 15-9.
The Pilots flew out of the gates in the first set, going on an 11-1 run before Goshen could put together any form of run. GC were even with the Pilots during the middle of the set, marginally getting outscored 7-6, before a 7-0 ending in a kill by Anna Richer gave the Pilots the set on a score of 25-7.
The second set started even, with GC trailing slightly before a kill from Carmin Corey and an ace from Carle Brugemma tied the game up at eight-all. Railynn Bowman, Emese Southwick, Sami Lard and Corey all contributed as GC pulled a lead at 14-10. Bethel would then go on a 12-4 run and bring the score to 22-18. An attack error from Bethel and a kill from Southwick brought the game to within two, before a 3-0 Bethel run gave them the set.
The third set saw GC get out ahead early, leading 5-3 before the Pilots went on a 7-1 run to lead by four. From there, the Leafs scored five unanswered, with kills from Ava Schneider, Southwick and an ace from Corey. The game then remained even until the score was tied at 16, where the Leafs then scored another five unanswered. The teams would then exchange points until a service error from the Pilots gave GC the set and a foot hold in the match.
The fourth set saw the teams both go on small runs of their own until the scores were tied at nine. From there, the Leafs went on a 5-2 run to lead by three. The Pilots then pulled a point back before kills from Lard and Corey alongside a series of attack errors from Bethel that put the score at 19-12. GC went on a 6-4 run, including a kill from Southwick and Armani Guidry Austin to win 25-16.
The fifth and final set saw Bethel jump out to a 5-1 advantage before the Leafs called a timeout. Both teams then went on small runs of their own to bring the score to 9-7. Goshen's final scores of the contest both came from Southwick before an attacking error from GC put an end to proceedings.
This game was the first between Goshen and Bethel to go five sets since 2015 and broke a 26-set losing streak to the Pilots. Emese Southwick had 14 kills and 6 blocks, career highs in both. Carmin Corey recorded a career high in digs with 11 and Jessie Price had her eighth match with multiple aces this season.
The Maple Leafs are back in action on Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. to play Huntington University back in the Ruth Gunden Gymnasium.Â
