Grace Volleyball Downs St. Francis
September 14, 2020 at 2:21 a.m.
WINONA LAKE - Grace College’s volleyball team continued its hot start to the year with a 3-1 win over St. Francis on Saturday.
The match was Grace’s home opener, knocking off the Cougars who are receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 Poll.
The Lady Lancers (3-0, 3-0 Crossroads League) impressed defensively, limiting the Cougars (0-2, 0-2 CL) to a .099 hitting percentage as a team.
Makaela Lochmueller was nearly unstoppable on both sides of the net. The junior had 15 kills and zero errors for an attack percentage of .625, and she also added one solo block and five block assists.
USF stunned Grace to start the match, winning six of the first seven points. The Lady Lancers recovered with four straight points and regained the lead midway into the set.
Grace held a slight 20-19 edge in the final stages. Lochmueller and Cassadi Colbert produced kills on back-to-back possessions to give Grace breathing room, and Colbert ended the set 25-21 with a kill.
The second set was a picture of efficiency for Grace. The Lady Lancers pounded out 14 kills and two errors in the set (.444 percentage), waltzing off to a 25-12 win.
The Cougars refused to be swept, however. USF took advantage of 11 Grace errors in the third set to win 25-18.
The fourth set featured four critical runs. The first run went to USF, who rode its momentum to a 5-1 lead. Grace quickly countered with five unanswered points, including a block and a kill by Anna Frey.
The Cougars tried to surge ahead again with a 7-1 run, resulting in a 16-12 lead. But again Grace had a decisive answer.
The Lady Lancers unleashed a timely 8-1 run, changing a 19-15 deficit into a 22-20 lead. Lochmueller tallied three kills during that run, and Frey added a kill and an ace.
Paige Eakright sparked Grace late off the bench. The senior had three kills in the final set, including scoring Grace’s 23rd and 25th points in the 25-23 victory.
Frey had a strong performance, amassing 9 kills, 19 digs, 3 block assists and 2 aces. Harrington stuffed the stat sheet with 38 assists, 9 digs, 4 kills and 2 block assists.
Colbert finished with 10 kills, and Makayla Bell chipped in five kills and three block assists.
Julia Nagy led all players with 23 digs. Grace’s back row alongside Nagy shined, including 12 digs by Brittany Baize and 10 digs from Gina Novotny.
The Lady Lancers remain at home Wednesday, taking on No. 7 Indiana Wesleyan at 7 p.m.
Women’s soccer explodes with 6 goals
WINONA LAKE - Grace’s women’s soccer team enjoyed a goal spree on Saturday in the 2020 season opener.
The Lady Lancers topped Point Park 6-0 at 1st Source Bank Field in Grace’s only nonconference game of the fall.
Grace will quickly shift into Crossroads League play next week, starting with a home match against No. 7 Indiana Wesleyan on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
JJ Aalbue scored two goals to lead Grace’s attack, and Brooke Kohler and Lea Moessinger each produced a goal and an assist.
It took Grace almost 40 minutes to get on the scoreboard on Saturday. But once the Lady Lancers started scoring, they never stopped.
Grace held a dominant 16-0 advantage in shot attempts in the first half, but the Lady Lancers only led 1-0 at halftime.
Grace applied pressure to the Pioneers’ backline almost immediately on Saturday, peppering Point Park’s goal with shots.
Aalbue and Alexis Larimore both had shots that bounced off the goal post before halftime, but it wouldn’t be long before Grace scored.
A handball from Point Park gave Grace a free kick, and Aalbue scored on a set piece in the 39th minute, assisted by Moessinger.
Grace’s second goal came four minutes into the second half. Kohler swung a dangerous cross into the penalty box, and Larimore connected to give Grace a 2-0 lead.
In the 62nd minute, Grace scored again. Madison Tuma won possession deep in PPU’s territory, quickly passing the ball to Aalbue. Aalbue needed just one touch to slice the ball into the far corner of the net.
In the 78th minute, Adelee Gartner made a clever move in the middle of the field and found Tuma in the penalty box. Tuma was fouled, and Moessinger converted the penalty kick.
Grace added two more goals in the final five minutes. The first was scored by Taylor Binkerd, who blasted her shot into the goal after a cross by Liz Aalbue.
The sixth and final goal was one of the most memorable. Kohler scored on a free kick, beating the goalkeeper from 28 yards away from the goal.
For the game, Grace held a 30-2 edge in shots. Goalkeeper Bethany Blackwood needed to stop two shots to record her shutout.
Lancers improve to 5-0 on the year
GOSHEN - Grace’s men’s tennis team remained perfect after two more wins on Saturday.
The Lancers beat Goshen 6-1 in the morning before sweeping Mt. Vernon Nazarene 7-0 in the second half of the doubleheader.
Against Goshen, the Lancers (5-0, 5-0 Crossroads League) only dropped a point at No. 1 singles. Grace was given a point at No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles as the Maple Leafs defaulted.
Pavle Popovic and David Sandi teamed up to win 6-3 at No. 1 doubles, and Fabricio Galvan and Max Rozas won by the same score at No. 2 doubles.
Ramiro Candia won in straight sets at No. 2 singles, and Galvan (No. 3), Mauricio Corty (No. 4) and Kye Barrett (No. 5) also were victorious in two sets.
The final match of the day was against Mt. Vernon Nazarene. Popovic and Jacob Gray earned a 6-1 win at No. 1 doubles.
Ivan Antinori and Milan Savic won 6-2 at No. 2 doubles, and Corty and Nicholas Graber were also 6-2 winners at No. 3.
Galvan, Sandi, Popovic, Savic, Antinori and Gray each won in two sets from No. 1-6 singles respectively.
The Lancers will put their unbeaten record to the test on Monday. Grace hosts Marian at 1 p.m. The Knights finished a game ahead of Grace last year and were ranked in the NAIA Top 25.
Women’s Tennis wins pair at Goshen
GOSHEN – Grace’s women’s tennis team racked up two more wins on Saturday to improve their record to 6-1.
In the first match, the Lady Lancers battled to a 6-1 win over Goshen.
Dayana Ortega and Jayna Armstrong took the top doubles’ court 6-1. Morgan Mast and Lauryn Riegsecker clinched the doubles’ point with a tough 6-4 win.
Anna Graves and Gretchen Adams also won 6-1 to help Grace sweep doubles.
In singles’ action, the Lady Lancers dropped the top court in a hard fought three-set match.
Armstrong helped Grace right the course from the No. 2 singles’ slot by winning in competitive straight sets (7-5, 6-4). Graves (No. 3) also took straight sets in convincing fashion (6-0, 6-1).
Mast (No. 4 singles) won 6-2, 6-0, and Riegsecker (No. 5) and Kiersten Martin (No. 6) also picked up straight set wins.
The second match of the afternoon saw Grace cruise to a 7-0 win over Mt. Vernon Nazarene.
Coach Marcus Moore made slight changes to his doubles team against the Cougars but saw similar dominant results.
Armstrong and Ortega once again teamed up to take the top doubles’ court (6-3).
Graves teamed with Ellie Hughes at No. 2 doubles to win 6-2, and Martin teamed with Adams at No. 3 to also win 6-2.
On the singles’ court, the Lady Lancers once again did not surrender a set.
Ortega and Armstrong took the top two courts, each dominating in straight sets. Graves clinched the Lady Lancers’ second win of the day, winning at No. 3 singles (6-2, 6-1).
Mast, Martin and Riegsecker all won in straight sets.
The Lady Lancers return to action on Monday when they travel to Manchester.
WINONA LAKE - Grace College’s volleyball team continued its hot start to the year with a 3-1 win over St. Francis on Saturday.
The match was Grace’s home opener, knocking off the Cougars who are receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 Poll.
The Lady Lancers (3-0, 3-0 Crossroads League) impressed defensively, limiting the Cougars (0-2, 0-2 CL) to a .099 hitting percentage as a team.
Makaela Lochmueller was nearly unstoppable on both sides of the net. The junior had 15 kills and zero errors for an attack percentage of .625, and she also added one solo block and five block assists.
USF stunned Grace to start the match, winning six of the first seven points. The Lady Lancers recovered with four straight points and regained the lead midway into the set.
Grace held a slight 20-19 edge in the final stages. Lochmueller and Cassadi Colbert produced kills on back-to-back possessions to give Grace breathing room, and Colbert ended the set 25-21 with a kill.
The second set was a picture of efficiency for Grace. The Lady Lancers pounded out 14 kills and two errors in the set (.444 percentage), waltzing off to a 25-12 win.
The Cougars refused to be swept, however. USF took advantage of 11 Grace errors in the third set to win 25-18.
The fourth set featured four critical runs. The first run went to USF, who rode its momentum to a 5-1 lead. Grace quickly countered with five unanswered points, including a block and a kill by Anna Frey.
The Cougars tried to surge ahead again with a 7-1 run, resulting in a 16-12 lead. But again Grace had a decisive answer.
The Lady Lancers unleashed a timely 8-1 run, changing a 19-15 deficit into a 22-20 lead. Lochmueller tallied three kills during that run, and Frey added a kill and an ace.
Paige Eakright sparked Grace late off the bench. The senior had three kills in the final set, including scoring Grace’s 23rd and 25th points in the 25-23 victory.
Frey had a strong performance, amassing 9 kills, 19 digs, 3 block assists and 2 aces. Harrington stuffed the stat sheet with 38 assists, 9 digs, 4 kills and 2 block assists.
Colbert finished with 10 kills, and Makayla Bell chipped in five kills and three block assists.
Julia Nagy led all players with 23 digs. Grace’s back row alongside Nagy shined, including 12 digs by Brittany Baize and 10 digs from Gina Novotny.
The Lady Lancers remain at home Wednesday, taking on No. 7 Indiana Wesleyan at 7 p.m.
Women’s soccer explodes with 6 goals
WINONA LAKE - Grace’s women’s soccer team enjoyed a goal spree on Saturday in the 2020 season opener.
The Lady Lancers topped Point Park 6-0 at 1st Source Bank Field in Grace’s only nonconference game of the fall.
Grace will quickly shift into Crossroads League play next week, starting with a home match against No. 7 Indiana Wesleyan on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
JJ Aalbue scored two goals to lead Grace’s attack, and Brooke Kohler and Lea Moessinger each produced a goal and an assist.
It took Grace almost 40 minutes to get on the scoreboard on Saturday. But once the Lady Lancers started scoring, they never stopped.
Grace held a dominant 16-0 advantage in shot attempts in the first half, but the Lady Lancers only led 1-0 at halftime.
Grace applied pressure to the Pioneers’ backline almost immediately on Saturday, peppering Point Park’s goal with shots.
Aalbue and Alexis Larimore both had shots that bounced off the goal post before halftime, but it wouldn’t be long before Grace scored.
A handball from Point Park gave Grace a free kick, and Aalbue scored on a set piece in the 39th minute, assisted by Moessinger.
Grace’s second goal came four minutes into the second half. Kohler swung a dangerous cross into the penalty box, and Larimore connected to give Grace a 2-0 lead.
In the 62nd minute, Grace scored again. Madison Tuma won possession deep in PPU’s territory, quickly passing the ball to Aalbue. Aalbue needed just one touch to slice the ball into the far corner of the net.
In the 78th minute, Adelee Gartner made a clever move in the middle of the field and found Tuma in the penalty box. Tuma was fouled, and Moessinger converted the penalty kick.
Grace added two more goals in the final five minutes. The first was scored by Taylor Binkerd, who blasted her shot into the goal after a cross by Liz Aalbue.
The sixth and final goal was one of the most memorable. Kohler scored on a free kick, beating the goalkeeper from 28 yards away from the goal.
For the game, Grace held a 30-2 edge in shots. Goalkeeper Bethany Blackwood needed to stop two shots to record her shutout.
Lancers improve to 5-0 on the year
GOSHEN - Grace’s men’s tennis team remained perfect after two more wins on Saturday.
The Lancers beat Goshen 6-1 in the morning before sweeping Mt. Vernon Nazarene 7-0 in the second half of the doubleheader.
Against Goshen, the Lancers (5-0, 5-0 Crossroads League) only dropped a point at No. 1 singles. Grace was given a point at No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles as the Maple Leafs defaulted.
Pavle Popovic and David Sandi teamed up to win 6-3 at No. 1 doubles, and Fabricio Galvan and Max Rozas won by the same score at No. 2 doubles.
Ramiro Candia won in straight sets at No. 2 singles, and Galvan (No. 3), Mauricio Corty (No. 4) and Kye Barrett (No. 5) also were victorious in two sets.
The final match of the day was against Mt. Vernon Nazarene. Popovic and Jacob Gray earned a 6-1 win at No. 1 doubles.
Ivan Antinori and Milan Savic won 6-2 at No. 2 doubles, and Corty and Nicholas Graber were also 6-2 winners at No. 3.
Galvan, Sandi, Popovic, Savic, Antinori and Gray each won in two sets from No. 1-6 singles respectively.
The Lancers will put their unbeaten record to the test on Monday. Grace hosts Marian at 1 p.m. The Knights finished a game ahead of Grace last year and were ranked in the NAIA Top 25.
Women’s Tennis wins pair at Goshen
GOSHEN – Grace’s women’s tennis team racked up two more wins on Saturday to improve their record to 6-1.
In the first match, the Lady Lancers battled to a 6-1 win over Goshen.
Dayana Ortega and Jayna Armstrong took the top doubles’ court 6-1. Morgan Mast and Lauryn Riegsecker clinched the doubles’ point with a tough 6-4 win.
Anna Graves and Gretchen Adams also won 6-1 to help Grace sweep doubles.
In singles’ action, the Lady Lancers dropped the top court in a hard fought three-set match.
Armstrong helped Grace right the course from the No. 2 singles’ slot by winning in competitive straight sets (7-5, 6-4). Graves (No. 3) also took straight sets in convincing fashion (6-0, 6-1).
Mast (No. 4 singles) won 6-2, 6-0, and Riegsecker (No. 5) and Kiersten Martin (No. 6) also picked up straight set wins.
The second match of the afternoon saw Grace cruise to a 7-0 win over Mt. Vernon Nazarene.
Coach Marcus Moore made slight changes to his doubles team against the Cougars but saw similar dominant results.
Armstrong and Ortega once again teamed up to take the top doubles’ court (6-3).
Graves teamed with Ellie Hughes at No. 2 doubles to win 6-2, and Martin teamed with Adams at No. 3 to also win 6-2.
On the singles’ court, the Lady Lancers once again did not surrender a set.
Ortega and Armstrong took the top two courts, each dominating in straight sets. Graves clinched the Lady Lancers’ second win of the day, winning at No. 3 singles (6-2, 6-1).
Mast, Martin and Riegsecker all won in straight sets.
The Lady Lancers return to action on Monday when they travel to Manchester.