Benton Harbor, MI - Grace traveled to Lake Michigan College yesterday to once again face the Red Hawks of Lake Michigan College. The Tigers lost in three straight sets with scores of 21-25, 22-25, and 22-25.
The night began with a back and forth battle. The Tigers controlled the first half of the set, but LMC gained seven straight points off of the Tiger's serve receive mishaps, and used that momentum to finish set one 21-25.
The Red Hawks commanded the lead in set two but the Tigers did not go down without a fight. Grace ran points together throughout the game but not enough to claim a second set victory with a score 22-25.
After noticing some predominant defensive patterns in the first and second sets, Grace looked to change things up going into game three. Senior, Amy Leszinske, moved to the middle, while Freshman Kylee Maat, came into fill Leszinske's role as an outside hitter.
"Amy's fast block, strong communication, and aggressive defense were huge assets in game three. She adapted easily to the new role, and made an immediate impact in our front row blocking presence," Coach Karsten noted. "Kudo's also to Kylee Maat for stepping up big time for us in game three. She always brings competitiveness and a fierce drive to the court, which is what we needed in the third set."
Despite the Tigers adaptability and versatility, game three ended in a mirror image of game two and the Red Hawks swept Grace in three games with a final set score of 22-25.
"This was one of our toughest losses to date" Coach Karsten continued, "The scoreboard reflects close games, but we have yet face Lake Michigan College with our strongest efforts. This is something we seek to change in future competition. We will continue to work on serve receive, and keeping our mentality focused and sharp if we fall behind."
Notable Contributions against the Red Hawks: Adrianna Bunce, Amy Leszinske and Kylee Maat contributed 8, 8 and 5 kills respectively out of the team total of 27. Bunce and Emma Summerfield led in defensive digs with 11 each while Leszinske and Maat together tacked on an additional 14 digs. Ashley Bearden earned 24 set assists on the night.
Game ball for the night was awarded to Junior, Adrianna Bunce for her aggressive front row play (8 kills), scrappiness in the back row (11 digs) and for achieving 100% serving on the night.
Tigers hit the road this weekend traveling to Chicago to face Dayspring Bible College (11:00 CST) and Emmaus Bible College (1:00 CST).
