Grace Led By Well-Balanced Attack
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Josh Neuhart-
Freshman setter Sarah Tullis stepped up to distribute 29 assists as the Lady Lancers leapfrogged the Cougars in the Crossroads League standings for third place.
The Lady Lancers (16-10; 9-5 CL) overcame a slow start in the opening set to win 25-22. The Cougars (17-10; 9-6 CL) led 18-13 before Grace responded with five straight points to spark their three-point win.
Grace’s offense sputtered in the second set, however. The Lady Lancers struggled to find a rhythm in their rotation as the Cougars took a 25-18 win to even the set count.
Strong serving in the third set helped the Lady Lancers to their most impressive performance of the night. With the score knotted at 7-7, the Lady Lancers went on a 10-3 run to pull away in their 25-15 victory.
Grace pounded out 16 kills on just four errors in the third set. They also added three service aces.
In the fourth and final set of the night, Grace was forced to hold off a late charge from the Cougars. Grace was serving for the match at 24-21 before Mount Vernon sliced the lead to 24-23. A service error from Mount Vernon ended the match, however, as Grace ended their longest losing streak of the season.
Alix Underwood led Grace offensively with 12 kills to go along with 8 digs and 3 block assists. Dana Johnston pounded out 11 kills on an efficient .320 percentage. She also led all players with five block assists.
Stefanie Bolt and Arielle Walters each recorded 10 kills as Walters added four block assists.
Freshman Annie Salazar led Grace’s team with 11 digs, and Hannah Clemmons stuffed the stat sheet with 9 kills, 8 digs, 2 service aces and 2 block assists.
As a team, Grace recorded nine block points and had 12 more kills than Mount Vernon.
The Lady Lancers continue league action on Friday for their senior night against Spring Arbor at 7 p.m.
MEN’S SOCCER
FORT WAYNE – Grace scored three goals in the first half of action as the Lancers topped St. Francis 3-0 on Tuesday in Crossroads League play.
With the win, the Lancers (9-4-2; 4-2-2 CL) secured a top-four finish in the league. As a result, Grace will host a first-round game for the CL Tournament starting next week.
“This was a good result for us tonight. I liked our mentality and overall focus,” said Grace head coach Matt Hotchkin. “We are still learning how to be a team and how to adapt as a game changes. We have taken some big steps these last couple games, and I’m proud of the guys’ work.”
Grace dominated play during the first 45 minutes of play. The Lancers outshot the Cougars (7-10; 1-7 CL) 13-6 in the first half and recorded all five corner kicks in the half.
Shane Barthuly started the scoring in the 29th minute when he latched onto an assist from Steven Fiema.
Fiema added his second assist of the half at the 40:01 mark. His distribution was finished by senior defender Sam Cole, who scored his first goal of the season.
The Lancers were not finished yet as they added their third goal of the half in the 42nd minute. Fiema, who had a part in each goal, notched the final tally of the evening at the 41:57 mark from an assist by Austin Altimus.
The Cougars did their best to pull a goal closer as they outshot the Lancers 9-3 after halftime, but strong goalkeeping play from Collin Cone secured the win.
Cone made five saves in 90 minutes to preserve Grace’s seventh shutout of the season.
The Lancers will conclude the CL season on Saturday with a home match against Mount Vernon at 3 p.m. With a win, Grace could move into second place depending on how the rest of the league fares.[[In-content Ad]]
Freshman setter Sarah Tullis stepped up to distribute 29 assists as the Lady Lancers leapfrogged the Cougars in the Crossroads League standings for third place.
The Lady Lancers (16-10; 9-5 CL) overcame a slow start in the opening set to win 25-22. The Cougars (17-10; 9-6 CL) led 18-13 before Grace responded with five straight points to spark their three-point win.
Grace’s offense sputtered in the second set, however. The Lady Lancers struggled to find a rhythm in their rotation as the Cougars took a 25-18 win to even the set count.
Strong serving in the third set helped the Lady Lancers to their most impressive performance of the night. With the score knotted at 7-7, the Lady Lancers went on a 10-3 run to pull away in their 25-15 victory.
Grace pounded out 16 kills on just four errors in the third set. They also added three service aces.
In the fourth and final set of the night, Grace was forced to hold off a late charge from the Cougars. Grace was serving for the match at 24-21 before Mount Vernon sliced the lead to 24-23. A service error from Mount Vernon ended the match, however, as Grace ended their longest losing streak of the season.
Alix Underwood led Grace offensively with 12 kills to go along with 8 digs and 3 block assists. Dana Johnston pounded out 11 kills on an efficient .320 percentage. She also led all players with five block assists.
Stefanie Bolt and Arielle Walters each recorded 10 kills as Walters added four block assists.
Freshman Annie Salazar led Grace’s team with 11 digs, and Hannah Clemmons stuffed the stat sheet with 9 kills, 8 digs, 2 service aces and 2 block assists.
As a team, Grace recorded nine block points and had 12 more kills than Mount Vernon.
The Lady Lancers continue league action on Friday for their senior night against Spring Arbor at 7 p.m.
MEN’S SOCCER
FORT WAYNE – Grace scored three goals in the first half of action as the Lancers topped St. Francis 3-0 on Tuesday in Crossroads League play.
With the win, the Lancers (9-4-2; 4-2-2 CL) secured a top-four finish in the league. As a result, Grace will host a first-round game for the CL Tournament starting next week.
“This was a good result for us tonight. I liked our mentality and overall focus,” said Grace head coach Matt Hotchkin. “We are still learning how to be a team and how to adapt as a game changes. We have taken some big steps these last couple games, and I’m proud of the guys’ work.”
Grace dominated play during the first 45 minutes of play. The Lancers outshot the Cougars (7-10; 1-7 CL) 13-6 in the first half and recorded all five corner kicks in the half.
Shane Barthuly started the scoring in the 29th minute when he latched onto an assist from Steven Fiema.
Fiema added his second assist of the half at the 40:01 mark. His distribution was finished by senior defender Sam Cole, who scored his first goal of the season.
The Lancers were not finished yet as they added their third goal of the half in the 42nd minute. Fiema, who had a part in each goal, notched the final tally of the evening at the 41:57 mark from an assist by Austin Altimus.
The Cougars did their best to pull a goal closer as they outshot the Lancers 9-3 after halftime, but strong goalkeeping play from Collin Cone secured the win.
Cone made five saves in 90 minutes to preserve Grace’s seventh shutout of the season.
The Lancers will conclude the CL season on Saturday with a home match against Mount Vernon at 3 p.m. With a win, Grace could move into second place depending on how the rest of the league fares.[[In-content Ad]]
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