Lady Lancers Volleyball Starts League Play With Sweep
September 9, 2022 at 2:27 a.m.
Lady Lancers Volleyball Starts League Play With Sweep
By Josh Neuhart-
The Lady Lancers (6-6, 1-0 CL) used balance scoring and stout defense to dispatch of the Maple Leafs in three sets.
Cassadi Colbert led all players with 12 kills, and Katie Swanson produced 10 kills. Grace had 46 kills as a team on a .219 percentage, while Goshen had 27 kills on a .074 rate.
Grace jumped out to an early 10-4 lead in front of a rowdy crowd at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center. Livia Tate and Sahara Bee each had a block and a kill in the early moments.
After a timeout, the Maple Leafs climbed within three. But Grace’s offense continued to roll, pulling away for a nine-point win.
Tate and Colbert had four first-half kills, including three late kills by Colbert to secure the set win.
Grace started strong again in the second set, winning five of the first six points. The Maple Leafs responded well, however, rattling off nine unanswered points to charge ahead 20-16.
Grace won four straight in response, but the Maple Leafs still led late.
Swanson stepped up to provide back-to-back kills, preventing Goshen from winning the set. The Maple Leafs scored again, however, and served again for the set at 25-24.
It was Colbert’s turn to play the hero at that point. The junior produced kills on two straight rallies to stun the Maple Leafs and put a charge into the electric atmosphere. A Maple Leaf attack error then ended the set in Grace’s favor at 27-25.
Colbert had six more kills in the second set, and Swanson added four.
The teams exchanged small runs to begin the third set. A 6-0 spurt by Goshen did not faze the Lady Lancers. Grace used a 9-3 run to charge ahead for good.
The Maple Leafs had no answer and fell 25-20 as Grace completed the sweep.
The middle hitters were effective for Grace. Tate finished with seven kills on nine attempts for a .778 percentage, adding a solo block and three block assists; Alisha Leffring had seven kills on a .500 percentage while adding three block assists.
Morgan Syoen produced 19 assists, 9 digs and 3 aces, and Riley Owens had 13 assists, 7 digs and 3 aces.
Grace Erwin amassed a match-best 18 digs, Jadyn Ross tallied 12 digs, and Liz Schmidt had 11 digs.
The Lady Lancers are off until next week where they will have a three-game road trip at Bethel, Taylor and St. Francis.
Preview: Grace Men’s Golf Led By Veterans
WINONA LAKE – The Grace men’s golf program is poised to kick off the 2022-23 season after earning a top-four finish at the NCCAA Championships and crowning an NCCAA individual national champion last season.
This year’s squad boasts a wealth of experience across the board. All five returners saw considerable action a season ago. With the lone departure of Noah Wright, coach Denny Hepler will look to a trio of seniors to guide the team.
“We have a veteran group this year,” said Hepler. “We are very excited about our depth and the improvement we’ve made over the summer.”
Senior Blake Lawson led the team in scoring average a year ago finishing at 76.8. He carded a season-low 72 twice and recorded a top-five individual finish at the Battle at Blackthorn last fall.
Fellow senior Chase Byron looks to build on last year’s success after shaving nearly nine strokes off his scoring average from 2020-21.
The final senior, Payton Kelly, finished the 2021-22 campaign with an 80.2 average. He fired a season-best 73 in the first round of the Lawrence Tech Invitational.
Junior Parker Wilburn, the 2021 NCCAA individual national champion and NCCAA All-American, finished the year with a 78.6 scoring average. He carded a career-best 69 in the first round of the NCCAA Championships en route to medalist honors on the national stage.
Rounding out the junior class is Tristen Dubbs. He participated in eight tournaments last season and finished with an average score of 81.5.
A pair of newcomers will join the ranks for the Lancers. Crown Point High School standout Isaac Embry looks to make his mark this fall. The other member of the recruiting class is Gavin Tidd, who comes to Grace from Southport High School.
Grace is scheduled to participate in six tournaments over the course of the fall season with hopes of earning a spot at the NCCAA Championships in Palm Coast, Fla., from Oct. 24-26. From there, the Lancers will turn their attention towards the Crossroads League Championships, which will be held in the spring.
"We play in a very competitive league," commented Hepler. "We are counting on our experience to help us break into the top tier of teams in league play."
The 2022-23 campaign begins at The Players Club Invitational hosted by Taylor University on Sept. 12-13.
Women’s Soccer moves up to No. 23 in NAIA
WINONA LAKE - Grace’s women’s soccer team continued its streak of being ranked.
The Lady Lancers moved up one spot to No. 23 in the NAIA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll. Grace is off to a 4-0 start on the season, outscoring its opponents by a margin of 23-0.
Grace has now been ranked by the NAIA for 36 consecutive polls; it marks the eighth-longest active streak in the NAIA.
The Crossroads League continues to be well-respected at the national level with four ranked teams (No. 2 Spring Arbor, No. 5 Marian, No. 12 Indiana Wesleyan, No. 23 Grace).
The Lady Lancers have a chance to continue its climb in the polls this weekend. Grace is traveling to play No. 10 Southeastern in a top-25 showdown.
Men explode into NAIA Top 25
WINONA LAKE - Grace’s men’s soccer team has earned its highest ranking in 22 years with the release of the latest NAIA Top 25 Poll.
The Lancers landed 18th in the poll, the highest ranking that Grace has achieved in recorded poll history (2000).
The Lancers earned national respect after testing themselves during the early portions of the season. Grace has earned wins against; Oklahoma Wesleyan (No. 5), Southeastern (RV) and Cumberlands (RV). The Lancers also earned a draw with No. 7 Indiana Tech.
Grace is one of three Crossroads League teams in the poll. The Lancers are joined by Bethel (No. 17) and Indiana Wesleyan (RV).
Grace’s schedule does not get any easier, with their next two opponents being UNOH (No. 16) and Columbia (No. 4) before kicking off conference play.
Grace’s top 20 showdown with UNOH is scheduled for 7 p.m. at 1st Source Bank Field.
The Lady Lancers (6-6, 1-0 CL) used balance scoring and stout defense to dispatch of the Maple Leafs in three sets.
Cassadi Colbert led all players with 12 kills, and Katie Swanson produced 10 kills. Grace had 46 kills as a team on a .219 percentage, while Goshen had 27 kills on a .074 rate.
Grace jumped out to an early 10-4 lead in front of a rowdy crowd at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center. Livia Tate and Sahara Bee each had a block and a kill in the early moments.
After a timeout, the Maple Leafs climbed within three. But Grace’s offense continued to roll, pulling away for a nine-point win.
Tate and Colbert had four first-half kills, including three late kills by Colbert to secure the set win.
Grace started strong again in the second set, winning five of the first six points. The Maple Leafs responded well, however, rattling off nine unanswered points to charge ahead 20-16.
Grace won four straight in response, but the Maple Leafs still led late.
Swanson stepped up to provide back-to-back kills, preventing Goshen from winning the set. The Maple Leafs scored again, however, and served again for the set at 25-24.
It was Colbert’s turn to play the hero at that point. The junior produced kills on two straight rallies to stun the Maple Leafs and put a charge into the electric atmosphere. A Maple Leaf attack error then ended the set in Grace’s favor at 27-25.
Colbert had six more kills in the second set, and Swanson added four.
The teams exchanged small runs to begin the third set. A 6-0 spurt by Goshen did not faze the Lady Lancers. Grace used a 9-3 run to charge ahead for good.
The Maple Leafs had no answer and fell 25-20 as Grace completed the sweep.
The middle hitters were effective for Grace. Tate finished with seven kills on nine attempts for a .778 percentage, adding a solo block and three block assists; Alisha Leffring had seven kills on a .500 percentage while adding three block assists.
Morgan Syoen produced 19 assists, 9 digs and 3 aces, and Riley Owens had 13 assists, 7 digs and 3 aces.
Grace Erwin amassed a match-best 18 digs, Jadyn Ross tallied 12 digs, and Liz Schmidt had 11 digs.
The Lady Lancers are off until next week where they will have a three-game road trip at Bethel, Taylor and St. Francis.
Preview: Grace Men’s Golf Led By Veterans
WINONA LAKE – The Grace men’s golf program is poised to kick off the 2022-23 season after earning a top-four finish at the NCCAA Championships and crowning an NCCAA individual national champion last season.
This year’s squad boasts a wealth of experience across the board. All five returners saw considerable action a season ago. With the lone departure of Noah Wright, coach Denny Hepler will look to a trio of seniors to guide the team.
“We have a veteran group this year,” said Hepler. “We are very excited about our depth and the improvement we’ve made over the summer.”
Senior Blake Lawson led the team in scoring average a year ago finishing at 76.8. He carded a season-low 72 twice and recorded a top-five individual finish at the Battle at Blackthorn last fall.
Fellow senior Chase Byron looks to build on last year’s success after shaving nearly nine strokes off his scoring average from 2020-21.
The final senior, Payton Kelly, finished the 2021-22 campaign with an 80.2 average. He fired a season-best 73 in the first round of the Lawrence Tech Invitational.
Junior Parker Wilburn, the 2021 NCCAA individual national champion and NCCAA All-American, finished the year with a 78.6 scoring average. He carded a career-best 69 in the first round of the NCCAA Championships en route to medalist honors on the national stage.
Rounding out the junior class is Tristen Dubbs. He participated in eight tournaments last season and finished with an average score of 81.5.
A pair of newcomers will join the ranks for the Lancers. Crown Point High School standout Isaac Embry looks to make his mark this fall. The other member of the recruiting class is Gavin Tidd, who comes to Grace from Southport High School.
Grace is scheduled to participate in six tournaments over the course of the fall season with hopes of earning a spot at the NCCAA Championships in Palm Coast, Fla., from Oct. 24-26. From there, the Lancers will turn their attention towards the Crossroads League Championships, which will be held in the spring.
"We play in a very competitive league," commented Hepler. "We are counting on our experience to help us break into the top tier of teams in league play."
The 2022-23 campaign begins at The Players Club Invitational hosted by Taylor University on Sept. 12-13.
Women’s Soccer moves up to No. 23 in NAIA
WINONA LAKE - Grace’s women’s soccer team continued its streak of being ranked.
The Lady Lancers moved up one spot to No. 23 in the NAIA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll. Grace is off to a 4-0 start on the season, outscoring its opponents by a margin of 23-0.
Grace has now been ranked by the NAIA for 36 consecutive polls; it marks the eighth-longest active streak in the NAIA.
The Crossroads League continues to be well-respected at the national level with four ranked teams (No. 2 Spring Arbor, No. 5 Marian, No. 12 Indiana Wesleyan, No. 23 Grace).
The Lady Lancers have a chance to continue its climb in the polls this weekend. Grace is traveling to play No. 10 Southeastern in a top-25 showdown.
Men explode into NAIA Top 25
WINONA LAKE - Grace’s men’s soccer team has earned its highest ranking in 22 years with the release of the latest NAIA Top 25 Poll.
The Lancers landed 18th in the poll, the highest ranking that Grace has achieved in recorded poll history (2000).
The Lancers earned national respect after testing themselves during the early portions of the season. Grace has earned wins against; Oklahoma Wesleyan (No. 5), Southeastern (RV) and Cumberlands (RV). The Lancers also earned a draw with No. 7 Indiana Tech.
Grace is one of three Crossroads League teams in the poll. The Lancers are joined by Bethel (No. 17) and Indiana Wesleyan (RV).
Grace’s schedule does not get any easier, with their next two opponents being UNOH (No. 16) and Columbia (No. 4) before kicking off conference play.
Grace’s top 20 showdown with UNOH is scheduled for 7 p.m. at 1st Source Bank Field.
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