Grace Roundup: Abbott Qualifies For Nationals
September 11, 2017 at 4:18 p.m.
Grace Roundup: Abbott Qualifies For Nationals
By Josh Neuhart-
The Lady Lancers finished second in the regional tournament behind Indiana Wesleyan, scoring 652 compared to 642 for IWU.
While IWU earned the automatic bid as a team to NCCAA Nationals, Grace still has a chance as an at-large invitee and will find out in October.
Abbott becomes the third Lady Lancer to reach the national tournament in only the program’s third year of existence. She follows Lauren Keiser (2015) and Anna Marshall (2016) as national tournament participants.
“I really could not be prouder of our effort. Kristin Holt had a breakout round today as a freshman, and Sydney was rock-solid for the two rounds,” said Grace head coach Denny Duncan. “We are still the youngest team in the Crossroads League, but we are getting better each week.”
Grace began the tournament Friday by scoring a 329 at The Players Club. Their score put the Lady Lancers within striking distance of the lead, nine strokes back of Indiana Wesleyan.
Keiser and Abbott paced Grace with a pair of 79s in the first round, and Marshall was one stroke behind at 80. Libby Tully (91) and Kristin Holt (92) rounded out the lineup.
After Friday’s round, Duncan was pleased with the team’s 329. But he added, “To win, we will have to put four quality rounds together. IWU is a veteran team with excellent talent. We have great respect for them, but we absolutely believe we can catch them.”
Saturday saw Grace improve by six strokes as a team, ending the round with a 323. But IWU was one stroke better at 322, holding on for the regional championship.
Holt showcased the biggest individual improvement in the tournament, bettering Friday’s score by 11 strokes to finish with an 81. Tully also showed improvement when she produced an 83 in the second round.
Abbott and Marshall both carded a second-round 80, finishing third and fourth on the individual leaderboard.
The Lady Lancers continue competition next weekend at the Heidelberg Invitational.
Women’s Soccer
BELLEVILLE, Ill. - Grace’s women’s soccer team finished its second game in as many days with a 3-0 victory over Lindenwood-Belleville on Saturday.
The Lady Lancers (3-2-2) completed their fourth match in eight days, including the weekend’s trip to St. Louis and an early trek to California.
As has been the theme this year for Grace, three different players scored a goal. For the season, Grace has 14 goals and 10 different goalscorers.
After playing 110 minutes in a scoreless draw at Missouri Baptist on Friday, Grace showed plenty of life in its legs to start Saturday’s match.
It took Grace just 14 minutes to score against the Lynx (0-4). Corinne Villalobos and Flavia Faria combined on a quick pass to set up Riley Koch, and Koch converted at the 13:20 mark for her first career goal.
The Lady Lancers were not finished in the half, however. Shelby Fort doubled Grace’s lead with her second goal of the season in the 44th minute.
Grace continued to build on its possession and eventually found a third goal in the second half. Autumn Raulerson, who led the Lady Lancers with four shots, netted at the 75:09 mark for the final 3-0 scoreline.
Abby Schue picked up the fourth shutout of the year in goal, making six saves in 90 minutes.
Grace will take 11 days off between games. Next up, the Lady Lancers host Georgetown on Sept. 20 at 1st Source Bank Field.
Volleyball
WINONA LAKE – Just hours after rallying with a 3-2 comeback win at Spring Arbor, Grace’s volleyball team experienced a letdown on Saturday.
Grace slipped at home to St. Francis 3-1 at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.
The Lady Lancers (7-5, 2-2 Crossroads League), who are still playing without an offensive leader Kelsee Zuidema due to injury, could only produce 45 kills in the four sets. The Cougars (2-11, 1-2 CL), on the other hand, had 59 kills against Grace’s defense.
The first set saw Grace fall into an early hole and never climb out. Grace burned early timeouts to slow USF’s momentum, but they still trailed by nine. USF held on to win 25-17 after limiting the Lady Lancers to a .075 hitting percentage.
The Lady Lancers evened up the match in the second set with a 25-20 victory. Marta Bleed ended the set with a kill from the left side.
The third set saw Grace struggle again offensively. The Lady Lancers had eight kills and seven attacking errors in a 25-18 defeat.
In the fourth, Grace showed life and was on the verge of forcing another five-set match. Grace tied the score at 14-14 after a kill from Kari Feddema.
USF went on to win seven of the next eight points to grab a 21-15 advantage, but Grace rallied back. The Lady Lancers scored six consecutive points to tie the game 21-21.
The Cougars refused to surrender the lead, however, and went ahead by two. Grace again rebounded to tie the game 23-23, but USF ended the match with two more points to win 25-23.
Bleed led Grace with 13 kills and two block assists. Feddema had nine kills on a .412 percentage, and Savannah Hart added seven kills and four block assists.
Sierra Smith tallied eight kills, Sara Miller amassed a match-high 21 digs, and Caylie Teel had 16 digs.
The Lady Lancers remain at home for two matches next week. Grace will host Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Wednesday and Huntington on Friday.
Women’s Tennis
FORT WAYNE – Grace’s women’s tennis team improved to 5-1 on the season with a hard-fought 6-3 victory at St. Francis on Saturday.
The Lady Lancers (5-1, 3-1 Crossroads League) used balanced production to beat USF as all six players contributed a point.
Grace took two of the three doubles’ courts, and all three positions were close. Emily Mast and Carrie Copeland won in extra points 9-7 at No. 1 doubles, and Shelby Bankson and Briana Diehl earned an 8-5 win at No. 3 doubles.
Jenna Jackson and Molly Fitzpatrick, who suffered a tough 9-7 defeat at No. 2 doubles, found revenge in singles. Jackson claimed a decisive 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 3 singles, and Fitzpatrick won in three sets at No. 4.
Mast remained undefeated on the season with a 6-1, 6-0 victory at the top singles’ position, and Copeland was nearly as strong with a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 2 singles.
The Lady Lancers will start next week with two home matches. Grace hosts Holy Cross on Monday at 4 p.m. and Spring Arbor on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
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The Lady Lancers finished second in the regional tournament behind Indiana Wesleyan, scoring 652 compared to 642 for IWU.
While IWU earned the automatic bid as a team to NCCAA Nationals, Grace still has a chance as an at-large invitee and will find out in October.
Abbott becomes the third Lady Lancer to reach the national tournament in only the program’s third year of existence. She follows Lauren Keiser (2015) and Anna Marshall (2016) as national tournament participants.
“I really could not be prouder of our effort. Kristin Holt had a breakout round today as a freshman, and Sydney was rock-solid for the two rounds,” said Grace head coach Denny Duncan. “We are still the youngest team in the Crossroads League, but we are getting better each week.”
Grace began the tournament Friday by scoring a 329 at The Players Club. Their score put the Lady Lancers within striking distance of the lead, nine strokes back of Indiana Wesleyan.
Keiser and Abbott paced Grace with a pair of 79s in the first round, and Marshall was one stroke behind at 80. Libby Tully (91) and Kristin Holt (92) rounded out the lineup.
After Friday’s round, Duncan was pleased with the team’s 329. But he added, “To win, we will have to put four quality rounds together. IWU is a veteran team with excellent talent. We have great respect for them, but we absolutely believe we can catch them.”
Saturday saw Grace improve by six strokes as a team, ending the round with a 323. But IWU was one stroke better at 322, holding on for the regional championship.
Holt showcased the biggest individual improvement in the tournament, bettering Friday’s score by 11 strokes to finish with an 81. Tully also showed improvement when she produced an 83 in the second round.
Abbott and Marshall both carded a second-round 80, finishing third and fourth on the individual leaderboard.
The Lady Lancers continue competition next weekend at the Heidelberg Invitational.
Women’s Soccer
BELLEVILLE, Ill. - Grace’s women’s soccer team finished its second game in as many days with a 3-0 victory over Lindenwood-Belleville on Saturday.
The Lady Lancers (3-2-2) completed their fourth match in eight days, including the weekend’s trip to St. Louis and an early trek to California.
As has been the theme this year for Grace, three different players scored a goal. For the season, Grace has 14 goals and 10 different goalscorers.
After playing 110 minutes in a scoreless draw at Missouri Baptist on Friday, Grace showed plenty of life in its legs to start Saturday’s match.
It took Grace just 14 minutes to score against the Lynx (0-4). Corinne Villalobos and Flavia Faria combined on a quick pass to set up Riley Koch, and Koch converted at the 13:20 mark for her first career goal.
The Lady Lancers were not finished in the half, however. Shelby Fort doubled Grace’s lead with her second goal of the season in the 44th minute.
Grace continued to build on its possession and eventually found a third goal in the second half. Autumn Raulerson, who led the Lady Lancers with four shots, netted at the 75:09 mark for the final 3-0 scoreline.
Abby Schue picked up the fourth shutout of the year in goal, making six saves in 90 minutes.
Grace will take 11 days off between games. Next up, the Lady Lancers host Georgetown on Sept. 20 at 1st Source Bank Field.
Volleyball
WINONA LAKE – Just hours after rallying with a 3-2 comeback win at Spring Arbor, Grace’s volleyball team experienced a letdown on Saturday.
Grace slipped at home to St. Francis 3-1 at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.
The Lady Lancers (7-5, 2-2 Crossroads League), who are still playing without an offensive leader Kelsee Zuidema due to injury, could only produce 45 kills in the four sets. The Cougars (2-11, 1-2 CL), on the other hand, had 59 kills against Grace’s defense.
The first set saw Grace fall into an early hole and never climb out. Grace burned early timeouts to slow USF’s momentum, but they still trailed by nine. USF held on to win 25-17 after limiting the Lady Lancers to a .075 hitting percentage.
The Lady Lancers evened up the match in the second set with a 25-20 victory. Marta Bleed ended the set with a kill from the left side.
The third set saw Grace struggle again offensively. The Lady Lancers had eight kills and seven attacking errors in a 25-18 defeat.
In the fourth, Grace showed life and was on the verge of forcing another five-set match. Grace tied the score at 14-14 after a kill from Kari Feddema.
USF went on to win seven of the next eight points to grab a 21-15 advantage, but Grace rallied back. The Lady Lancers scored six consecutive points to tie the game 21-21.
The Cougars refused to surrender the lead, however, and went ahead by two. Grace again rebounded to tie the game 23-23, but USF ended the match with two more points to win 25-23.
Bleed led Grace with 13 kills and two block assists. Feddema had nine kills on a .412 percentage, and Savannah Hart added seven kills and four block assists.
Sierra Smith tallied eight kills, Sara Miller amassed a match-high 21 digs, and Caylie Teel had 16 digs.
The Lady Lancers remain at home for two matches next week. Grace will host Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Wednesday and Huntington on Friday.
Women’s Tennis
FORT WAYNE – Grace’s women’s tennis team improved to 5-1 on the season with a hard-fought 6-3 victory at St. Francis on Saturday.
The Lady Lancers (5-1, 3-1 Crossroads League) used balanced production to beat USF as all six players contributed a point.
Grace took two of the three doubles’ courts, and all three positions were close. Emily Mast and Carrie Copeland won in extra points 9-7 at No. 1 doubles, and Shelby Bankson and Briana Diehl earned an 8-5 win at No. 3 doubles.
Jenna Jackson and Molly Fitzpatrick, who suffered a tough 9-7 defeat at No. 2 doubles, found revenge in singles. Jackson claimed a decisive 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 3 singles, and Fitzpatrick won in three sets at No. 4.
Mast remained undefeated on the season with a 6-1, 6-0 victory at the top singles’ position, and Copeland was nearly as strong with a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 2 singles.
The Lady Lancers will start next week with two home matches. Grace hosts Holy Cross on Monday at 4 p.m. and Spring Arbor on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
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