WINONA LAKE - Home sweet home.

Whatever.

Don't tell that to the Grace College volleyball team as the Lancers opened Mid-Central Conference action with a loss in their home opener Tuesday, after 14 straight matches on the road to start the year.

Indiana Wesleyan rolled through Grace, winning in straight sets, 15-10, 15-13, 15-10.

For the Lancers, it was the lack of experience and a senior-laden team that cost them. Grace was tied 10-10 in the first set and 13-13 in the second set but couldn't put those matches away.

Grace head coach Candace Moats couldn't help but look back on what would have happened if last year's setter and the No. 2 career assist leader in NAIA history, Melissa Rants, were still around.

"Melissa would have put that game away. Even if she didn't have anybody with her, she would have known what to do to put it away. Right now, we don't have that maturity in setting to know where to go and what set to set."

Indiana Wesleyan jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first game, but sophomore Kate Millen and junior DeAnna Beachy began to help the Lancers claw back into the game. Grace eventually knotted the game at 10-10, but the Wildcats had too much firepower and reeled off five consecutive points to win the game.

Game two looked to be a different story as the Lancers took the first three points and led 6-3 at one point, but Indiana Wesleyan turned that around into a 12-9 advantage before Grace fought back to tie the match at 13-13. The Lancers had two opportunities to take a 14-13 lead, but they squandered those away with mental errors on each chance.

In the final game, Indiana Wesleyan never looked back.

The Wildcats jumped ahead 11-4 and had no problems despite a small run by Grace that cut the lead to 12-8. Wesleyan went on for the 15-10 win to close out the match.

"These kids are competitors," Moats said. "But in critical moments, they're not a put-away team yet. They haven't been able to go out there and say, 'We're going to put this away' like a mature team would do."

Millen led the Lancers with 16 kills, and Beachy added 10 more. Freshman Hannah Melby had 33 assists for Grace, and NorthWood graduate Jamie Gill had five kills in a supporting role for the Lancers.

"I didn't feel like we played horribly," Moats said. "We are in the game and we understand the game, but we're not reactors to the game. High school mentality is that you can come in and you can hit through the block because you've done it before, but you can't do it here. So, you've got to be creative and you've got to think of different things to do."

Grace (9-6, 0-1 MCC) will compete in the Mt. Vernon Nazarene Tournament Friday and Saturday. The Lancers will then be at Bethel Tuesday before hosting the Grace Crossroads Classic Oct. 2 and 3. [[In-content Ad]]