Lady Lancers Tennis Falls In Crossroads League Semifinals
October 4, 2019 at 4:10 a.m.
Lady Lancers Tennis Falls In Crossroads League Semifinals
By Josh Neuhart-
The Lady Lancers end the season with an 11-3 record, the second straight season with double-digit wins under head coach Marcus Moore. It marks the second time in program history with back-to-back seasons of 10 or more wins.
Grace’s seven Crossroads League wins also were the most in team history.
The Knights (10-1) won the doubles’ point. Carrie Copeland and Dayana Ortega secured a 6-5 victory at No. 2 double, but Grace dropped its other two doubles’ matches.
The Lady Lancers lost in straight sets at the top four singles’ courts, which ended the match.
Early Lead Slips For Grace In Semifinals
INDIANAPOLIS – Grace’s men’s tennis team could not maintain its early momentum with a 4-2 loss at No. 21 Marian on Thursday.
The Lancers (9-4) slipped in the Crossroads League Tournament semifinals despite owning a 2-1 lead at one point in the match.
Grace had the edge early on after winning the doubles’ portion. Max Rozas and Fabricio Galvan won 7-6 at No. 2 doubles, and Ramiro Candia and Jacob Gray won 6-3 at No. 3.
Rozas kept Grace’s momentum going with a 6-2, 6-4 victory at No. 1 singles. But that proved to be the final point for the Lancers.
The Knights (10-1) rallied to take the match, however, with an impressive singles’ performance. Marian won at No. 2, 3, 4 and 6 singles.
The Lancers’ nine victories this year under head coach Andy Lewis were the most wins for the program since 2013.
Goal Spree Leads To Lancer Win
WINONA LAKE – Grace’s women’s soccer team scored early and often on Wednesday to beat Bethel.
JJ Aalbue produced a goal and four assists to lead Grace to a 7-1 victory over Bethel at 1st Source Bank Field.
The Lady Lancers (11-1, 3-0 Crossroads League) extended their winning streak to seven straight games. Grace also sits alone atop the league standings as the only 3-0 team remaining.
The match started tamely enough with only two shot attempts in the opening 10 minutes. But that trend would not continue.
Grace pelted the Pilots consistently over the final 30 minutes, turning its next 10 shots into six goals.
Joana Schimmel created the first goal; she fired off two quick shots in the box, and the rebound fell to Alexis Larimore who netted from point-blank range.
Two minutes later, Grace struck again. Aalbue played a dangerous ball in front of the face of the goal, and Schimmel tapped in the ball for a 2-0 lead.
Aalbue earned her own goal at the 25:27 mark on a dizzying run and shot through the penalty box.
Aalbue was involved on three more goals before halftime. Grace’s fourth goal came from a set piece as Lea Moessinger and Aalbue combined to assist Corinne Villalobos at the 27:23 mark.
A few minutes after that, Aalbue led Cassidy Wasson with a pass in the middle of the penalty box, and Wasson took care of the rest with a goal.
The sixth and final goal of the half was a freshman connection. Aalbue laid off a pass to Taylor Fort, and the freshman blasted in her shot below the crossbar in the 42nd minute.
For the half, Grace held an 11-1 edge in shots and 4-0 advantage in corner kicks.
Neither team could find the back of the net for the first 25 minutes of the second half. Although Grace dominated time on the ball and had several chances, Bethel managed to score first.
The Pilots (3-9, 0-3 CL) scored in the 70th minute. It proved to be Bethel’s only shot on goal during the match.
The Lady Lancers were swift in response, marching down the field and adding a seventh goal. Fort passed to Baylei Peters, who scored two minutes after Bethel’s goal.
For the match, Grace outshot Bethel 20-2. The Lady Lancers also had the only seven corner kicks of the contest.
Kimberly Aalbue registered the victory in goal for Grace, playing her first collegiate minutes as goalkeeper.
The Lady Lancers remain at home Saturday with a must-see match. Grace hosts Taylor, who is receiving votes in the NAIA. The match starts at 1:30 p.m. at 1st Source Bank Field and will the climax of Grace College’s Homecoming weekend.
VB Completes Sweep Of Bethel
MISHAWAKA – For the second time this year, Grace’s volleyball team swept Bethel.
The Lady Lancers (10-11, 6-4 Crossroads League) nabbed the victory on the road by a score of 3-0 on Wednesday.
Grace’s offensive attack was led by another double-double from senior Alexa Hill. The Lady Lancers also had two hitters (Gabbey Harrington, Makaela Lochmueller) register at least eight kills with no errors.
The first set was a tight contest. With the score tied at 9-9, Caroline Mayer sparked the offense with a timely kill. Grace would go on to score four unanswered points.
That cushion proved crucial when Bethel made a late run, pulling within one at 24-23. But Lochmueller shut the door with a big kill to win the set 25-23.
The Lady Lancers dominated the second set after overcoming an early deficit.
Grace pounded 16 kills in the set at a .483 clip and scored six straight points, capped off by an ace from Gina Novotny to seal the 25-15 win.
The Pilots (7-16, 2-8 CL) slowed down the Lady Lancer attack in the third set, recording three block points to take the lead 17-15.
But once again, Grace rattled off six unanswered points to reclaim the lead. The Lady Lancers would not relinquish the lead, securing the sweep by a score of 25-21.
Hill recorded 36 assists, 10 digs, 4 kills and 2 block assists. Katie Swanson led the Lady Lancers in kills with 12.
Lochmueller tallied eight kills on a .533 percentage. Harrington put up nearly matching numbers with nine kills on a .450 percentage.
Novotny notched 14 digs and an ace. Makayla Bell added 9 digs, 2 block assists and 1 kill. Emily Sharp served two aces and had six digs.
Grace returns to the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center next week. The Lady Lancers will take on Goshen at home on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
– Kara Godsey
The Lady Lancers end the season with an 11-3 record, the second straight season with double-digit wins under head coach Marcus Moore. It marks the second time in program history with back-to-back seasons of 10 or more wins.
Grace’s seven Crossroads League wins also were the most in team history.
The Knights (10-1) won the doubles’ point. Carrie Copeland and Dayana Ortega secured a 6-5 victory at No. 2 double, but Grace dropped its other two doubles’ matches.
The Lady Lancers lost in straight sets at the top four singles’ courts, which ended the match.
Early Lead Slips For Grace In Semifinals
INDIANAPOLIS – Grace’s men’s tennis team could not maintain its early momentum with a 4-2 loss at No. 21 Marian on Thursday.
The Lancers (9-4) slipped in the Crossroads League Tournament semifinals despite owning a 2-1 lead at one point in the match.
Grace had the edge early on after winning the doubles’ portion. Max Rozas and Fabricio Galvan won 7-6 at No. 2 doubles, and Ramiro Candia and Jacob Gray won 6-3 at No. 3.
Rozas kept Grace’s momentum going with a 6-2, 6-4 victory at No. 1 singles. But that proved to be the final point for the Lancers.
The Knights (10-1) rallied to take the match, however, with an impressive singles’ performance. Marian won at No. 2, 3, 4 and 6 singles.
The Lancers’ nine victories this year under head coach Andy Lewis were the most wins for the program since 2013.
Goal Spree Leads To Lancer Win
WINONA LAKE – Grace’s women’s soccer team scored early and often on Wednesday to beat Bethel.
JJ Aalbue produced a goal and four assists to lead Grace to a 7-1 victory over Bethel at 1st Source Bank Field.
The Lady Lancers (11-1, 3-0 Crossroads League) extended their winning streak to seven straight games. Grace also sits alone atop the league standings as the only 3-0 team remaining.
The match started tamely enough with only two shot attempts in the opening 10 minutes. But that trend would not continue.
Grace pelted the Pilots consistently over the final 30 minutes, turning its next 10 shots into six goals.
Joana Schimmel created the first goal; she fired off two quick shots in the box, and the rebound fell to Alexis Larimore who netted from point-blank range.
Two minutes later, Grace struck again. Aalbue played a dangerous ball in front of the face of the goal, and Schimmel tapped in the ball for a 2-0 lead.
Aalbue earned her own goal at the 25:27 mark on a dizzying run and shot through the penalty box.
Aalbue was involved on three more goals before halftime. Grace’s fourth goal came from a set piece as Lea Moessinger and Aalbue combined to assist Corinne Villalobos at the 27:23 mark.
A few minutes after that, Aalbue led Cassidy Wasson with a pass in the middle of the penalty box, and Wasson took care of the rest with a goal.
The sixth and final goal of the half was a freshman connection. Aalbue laid off a pass to Taylor Fort, and the freshman blasted in her shot below the crossbar in the 42nd minute.
For the half, Grace held an 11-1 edge in shots and 4-0 advantage in corner kicks.
Neither team could find the back of the net for the first 25 minutes of the second half. Although Grace dominated time on the ball and had several chances, Bethel managed to score first.
The Pilots (3-9, 0-3 CL) scored in the 70th minute. It proved to be Bethel’s only shot on goal during the match.
The Lady Lancers were swift in response, marching down the field and adding a seventh goal. Fort passed to Baylei Peters, who scored two minutes after Bethel’s goal.
For the match, Grace outshot Bethel 20-2. The Lady Lancers also had the only seven corner kicks of the contest.
Kimberly Aalbue registered the victory in goal for Grace, playing her first collegiate minutes as goalkeeper.
The Lady Lancers remain at home Saturday with a must-see match. Grace hosts Taylor, who is receiving votes in the NAIA. The match starts at 1:30 p.m. at 1st Source Bank Field and will the climax of Grace College’s Homecoming weekend.
VB Completes Sweep Of Bethel
MISHAWAKA – For the second time this year, Grace’s volleyball team swept Bethel.
The Lady Lancers (10-11, 6-4 Crossroads League) nabbed the victory on the road by a score of 3-0 on Wednesday.
Grace’s offensive attack was led by another double-double from senior Alexa Hill. The Lady Lancers also had two hitters (Gabbey Harrington, Makaela Lochmueller) register at least eight kills with no errors.
The first set was a tight contest. With the score tied at 9-9, Caroline Mayer sparked the offense with a timely kill. Grace would go on to score four unanswered points.
That cushion proved crucial when Bethel made a late run, pulling within one at 24-23. But Lochmueller shut the door with a big kill to win the set 25-23.
The Lady Lancers dominated the second set after overcoming an early deficit.
Grace pounded 16 kills in the set at a .483 clip and scored six straight points, capped off by an ace from Gina Novotny to seal the 25-15 win.
The Pilots (7-16, 2-8 CL) slowed down the Lady Lancer attack in the third set, recording three block points to take the lead 17-15.
But once again, Grace rattled off six unanswered points to reclaim the lead. The Lady Lancers would not relinquish the lead, securing the sweep by a score of 25-21.
Hill recorded 36 assists, 10 digs, 4 kills and 2 block assists. Katie Swanson led the Lady Lancers in kills with 12.
Lochmueller tallied eight kills on a .533 percentage. Harrington put up nearly matching numbers with nine kills on a .450 percentage.
Novotny notched 14 digs and an ace. Makayla Bell added 9 digs, 2 block assists and 1 kill. Emily Sharp served two aces and had six digs.
Grace returns to the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center next week. The Lady Lancers will take on Goshen at home on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
– Kara Godsey
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