SYLVANIA, Ohio - Grace’s volleyball team wrapped up the Lourdes Classic with a pair of victories on Saturday.

The Lady Lancers beat West Virginia Tech in four sets before sweeping Shawnee State to end the weekend.

Against WV Tech, Grace was led by a career-best performance from Deborah Michalski. The senior smashed a personal-best 17 kills on a .500 percentage.

Grace’s offense was dominant in the win, amassing 57 kills at a .243 clip compared to 43 kills by the Golden Bears. The Lady Lancers won the first (25-18), second (25-12) and fourth sets (25-22) to secure the victory.

Anna Frey picked up another double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs, and Alexa Hill tallied 49 assists, 9 digs and 4 kills.

Makaela Lochmueller finished with 11 kills and three block assists, Makayla Bell added nine kills, Gina Novotny dug up 14 balls, and Emily Sharp added 11 digs.

In the final match, Grace’s offense again proved to be deadly in a sweep of Shawnee State. The Lady Lancers produced a .296 hitting percentage and 47 kills in a 25-23, 25-11 and 25-22 final scoreline.

Grace had at least 15 kills in every set, and the Lady Lancers also had eight service aces.

Hill’s 39 assists and eight digs paced a dangerous offense, and Frey produced 14 kills and nine digs.

Lochmueller notched 10 kills, Gabbey Harrington had nine kills, Mayer tallied 12 digs, and Bell chipped in 5 kills, 8 digs, 1 solo block and 3 block assists.

The Lady Lancers resume Crossroads League play next week with a match at Indiana Wesleyan on Wednesday. Grace will then welcome Bethel on Friday to the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.



Aalbue Shines For No. 15 Grace

LAKE WALES, Fla. -  Grace’s women’s soccer team collected its fifth win of the season with a 4-0 victory at Warner on Saturday.

The Lady Lancers were sparked by freshman JJ Aalbue, who had two goals and an assist in an impressive performance.

For the match, Grace owned a 16-3 shot advantage to go along with a 6-1 edge in corner kicks.

Grace’s first goal was scored by Aalbue. Corinne Villalobos led Aalbue with a pass along the left side. Aalbue beat her defender on the endline and then calmly beat the goalkeeper with a shot to the far post in the 41st minute.

Three minutes later, the Lady Lancers’ lead was doubled. Aalbue again proved dangerous on the left side, placing a dangerous cross in front of Warner’s goal. Cassidy Wasson pounced on the cross and scored just before halftime.

The Royals (0-3) were able to muster just one shot in the opening 45 minutes.

It didn’t take long for Aalbue to score again after halftime. Fourteen minutes into the second half, Lea Moessinger sent Aalbue on a run with a long pass. Aalbue rounded the goalkeeper and passed the ball into the untended net at the 59:12 mark.

Three minutes before the end of the game, Grace added an insurance goal. Villalobos dribbled at Warner’s defense and cleverly slipped a pass ahead to Liz Van Wormer, who sliced her right-footed shot just inside the right post for the final 4-0 score.

Grace’s defense earned its fourth shutout of the season. Bethany Blackwood played all 90 minutes in goal and made three saves. She was protected well by McKenna Cruz, Hannah Tkacz, Brooke Kohler, Moessinger and Anna Kuhl.

Aalbue’s five shots led all players, Wasson shot four times, and Sacia Hanson and Van Wormer each notched two shots.

The Lady Lancers will return home and face a stiff test at 1st Source Bank Field. Grace welcomes No. 10 Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) on Thursday at 7 p.m.



Grace Men’s Tennis Blanks Cougars

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio - Grace’s men’s tennis team needed little time dismantling Mt. Vernon Nazarene 7-0 on Saturday.

The Lancers (5-1, 4-0 Crossroads League) earned a 6-3 win at No. 1 doubles by Pavle Popovic and Milan Savic, and Max Rozas and Nicolas Graber won 6-1 at No. 2 doubles.

Rozas went on to win 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1 singles. Fabricio Galvan won 6-1, 6-0 at No. 2 singles, and Ramiro Candia cruised 6-0, 6-1 at No. 3 singles.

Kye Barrett picked up a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 4 singles, and Jacob Gray was perfect 6-0, 6-0 at No. 5.

Grace won No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles by default.

The Lancers remain on the road Tuesday with a match at St. Francis.



Women’s Tennis Remains Unbeaten

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio - The perfect season continues for Grace’s women’s tennis team after a 7-0 sweep of Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Saturday.

The Lady Lancers (5-0, 4-0 Crossroads League) are tied for first in the league standings with Indiana Wesleyan with nearly half the league season complete.

Grace was efficient in its win over the Cougars (1-3, 1-3 CL). The Lady Lancers won all three doubles’ courts, including a 6-0 win at No. 2 doubles by Carrie Copeland and Jayna Armstrong.

Emily Mast and Dayana Ortega won 6-3 at No. 1 doubles, and Morgan Mast and Gretchen Adams echoed that score at No. 3 doubles.

Morgan Mast produced a flawless 6-0, 6-0 scoreline at No. 5 singles. Copeland won 6-0, 6-1 at No. 2 singles, and Shelby Bankson had the same result at No. 6 singles.

Emily Mast won 6-2, 6-0 at No. 1 singles, Ortega was victorious 6-0, 6-2 at No. 3, and Armstrong won 6-2, 6-1 at No. 4.

“This was a great day of tennis. The ladies started slowly, but they picked it up in singles,” said Grace head coach Marcus Moore. “Shelby and Carrie in particular had an excellent day, and Morgan looked sharp in singles. I’m excited to see our growth throughout the season, and I look forward to a good opponent on Monday against Spring Arbor.”

The Lady Lancers host Spring Arbor for a 5 p.m. match today.



Talamas’s Heroics Lift Lancers

CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. - A pair of second half goals by Marcelo Talamas sparked Grace’s men’s soccer team to a comeback 3-2 victory at Thomas More.

Talamas scored the winning goal in the 84th minute, and Grace goalkeeper Gonzalo Salo stopped a last-minute penalty kick in a thrilling match.

The Lancers (3-1-1) had to come back twice in the game. The Saints (2-2) took the lead in the first 10 minutes to set the tone for the afternoon.

Grace managed to tie the score just before halftime, however. Togo Narusawa assisted Cody Boerema in the 43rd minute to make the score 1-1.

Thomas Moore pulled ahead again just five minutes into the second half, and the game remained 2-1 into the final 15 minutes.

Talamas managed to tie the game on an individual effort. The Saints were slow to clear the ball from their defensive end of the field, and Talamas blocked the goalkeeper’s attempted clearance. He then raced to the loose ball and passed it into the back of the net at the 75:26 mark.

The game was won by Grace in the 84th minute. Boerema played a dangerous cross into the penalty box. Ethan Koselak’s initial shot was blocked, and Talamas soared through the air and headed the game winner into the back of the net.

The Saints nearly sent the match to overtime in the final minute of regulation. A desperation cross was made into the penalty box with 20 seconds remaining. The official judged a foul was committed by Grace on the loose ball, resulting in a penalty kick.

But Salo made a save on the PK to ensure Grace came away with the victory.

Talamas shot six times to lead all players, and Ulisses Miranda tried three shots.

The Lancers remain on the road Wednesday with a match at Judson.