Cougars Sweep Goshen Maple Leafs for First Conference Victory
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) (7-7, 1-1) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
|
Goshen (2-14, 0-2) | 21 | 18 | 12 | 0 |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – On Wednesday evening the University of Saint Francis Cougars (7-8; 1-1 Crossroads) traveled to Goshen, Indiana for their first road conference game of the year when they faced the Goshen College Maple Leafs (2-14; 0-2 Crossroads) and prevailed in three straight winning by scores of 25-21, 25-18, and 25-12.
In the opening set, the Cougars went to work and built an early 10-5 lead over the Maple Leafs, but Goshen wouldn't go quietly in the opener. Goshen rallied to tie the score and the frame went back-and-forth for the next several rallies.
With Saint Francis clinging to a 19-18 lead, they took charge the rest of the way and rallied to score on six of the last nine rallies to claim the opener by four.
The Cougars stepped it up a notch in the second set. After seeing an early 3-0 lead evaporate, the Cougars found themselves on the short end of a 7-6 score.
The next several rallies went back and forth before the Cougars turned it up. Saint Francis went on a nine-point service run to go from trailing by two to leading 21-14. Both teams exchanged scores through the remainder of the set and the Cougars now had a two-game lead after winning the second by seven.
Heading into the third frame, the Cougars knew there was no more time to waste. They built a 13-7 lead in the first 20 rallies and thanks in part to a late four-point service run, ran away with the third set winning by 13 and claiming their first conference match of the season.
Throughout the match, senior defensive specialist Maile Steckelberg led the team in digs with 18, while senior setter Alexa Sparks had a team-leading 23 assists, and sophomore outside hitter Paige Fortkamp led the way in kills with 14.
The Cougars resume play on Friday evening when they return home to Hutzell Athletic Center for a conference game against the Bethel University Pilots (8-5; 0-1 Crossroads) beginning at 7:00 pm.
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