Lady Lancers advance to semifinals of Crossroads League Tournament
Posted
Josh Neuhart-
INDIANAPOLIS – Grace College’s volleyball team ended fourth-seeded Marian’s season Tuesday with a 3-1 upset of the Knights in the first round of the Crossroads League Tournament. The Lady Lancers (20-15) picked up their 20th win of the season thanks to a number of standout performers. Grace will travel to Mishawaka on Thursday to face No. 1-seed Bethel in the Crossroads League semifinals. The winner of the tournament will get an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championships. Ellie Harp was a force to be reckoned with on both sides of the net for Grace. She tallied 47 assists and seven kills offensively to go along with 11 digs and 5 block assists defensively. A kill by Harp sealed Grace’s win in the opening set. The game was knotted at 11-11 before Dana Johnson ripped off four consecutive kills to spark the Lady Lancers to a 25-19 victory. The second set was similar as Marian tied the match at 14-14. Grace slowly edged in front of the Knights (18-11), maintained a slight cushion down the stretch and held on for a 25-22 win. The Knights refused to be swept in the third set, producing a three-point win. Marian led by as many as eight points late in the game, but Grace rallied to within a point at 23-22 before running out of steam. Grace found itself in a 15-10 hole in the fourth set before battling back into contention. The Knights were on the verge of forcing a tiebreaker with a 23-20 advantage, but the Lady Lancers showed their resolve. Grace scored five-straight points, including two kills from Kaitlin Kerrigan, to shock the home team and send the Lady Lancers to the semifinals. Grace’s Calah Kruse was the most prolific hitter on either team with a match-high 18 kills. She also added 18 digs. Freshman Kaitlin Kerrigan produced a season-best 15 kills to go along with 15 digs, and Dana Johnston added 13 kills and three block assists. Hannah Clemmons tallied 28 digs to lead all players, Grace Woolsey notched seven block assists, and Taylor Baird had seven kills on 11 attempts.
