INDIANAPOLIS - The Marian volleyball team finished their eighth consecutive season sweep of Goshen College on Wednesday night, as the Knights landed a 3-1 victory on their home court. Marian's record improves to 16-7 overall on the season and 10-3 in Crossroads League play following the win. 

The Knights posted 13 kills in the first set, starting the night with a 5-0 lead. Goshen would claw back and overtake Marian briefly 6-5, but blocks from Madison Brooks and Averi Lanman helped the home team get back in a rhythm. The Maple Leafs did not back down and kept within five of the Knights, eventually pulling within two points at 17-15. Mikayla Christiansen scored three unanswered points with a pair of service aces to gain a firm lead, with a bad set by Goshen leading to a Marian 25-19 set one win.

Things did not go Marian's way in the second set, as Goshen posted 15 kills and a .344 hitting percentage in their 25-23 win. The Knights led 5-2 early as they changed up pieces in their lineup, and continued to lead as they won the race to 10 points. Goshen continued to stick with the Knights as errors plagued Marian, with the Maple Leafs eventually tying the set at 17-17. Goshen would then go on a 3-0 run after kills from Sarah Bennett and Avery Toole, taking control as they went on to tie the match.

Marian would start strong in the third set as they pulled in front 7-2, scoring seven unanswered points after allowing the first two to the Maple Leafs. The Knights took advantage of Maple Leaf errors early as their lead grew to nine points with a 12-3 lead, however attack and reception errors allowed Goshen to recover from their deficit. The Maple Leaf charge started with Marian on top 16-6, as the visitors used two runs to get within a pair, but a duo of kills by Khori Dryden helped keep Marian in the lead. Marian would go on to finish the third set with a 25-18 win as Emma Lyons delivered a service ace, pushing Marian in front 2-1.

Goshen responded in the fourth set by scoring four of the first five points to take a quick lead, but couldn't keep up with Dryden and Christiansen as the pair of hitters pulled the Knights back in front. An 8-1 run for the Knights paced by Jaymison Summers allowed Marian to take a 16-10 lead, putting them in good position to seal the win. Goshen would inch within four points of Marian's lead, but could not overtake them as the Knights closed the evening on a 3-0 run, hitting .310 in the final set as they won 25-18.

Christiansen led the Knights in kills with 14 while posting a .333 hitting percentage, and Madison Brooks had 12 kills on 36 attacks. Dryden finished with seven kills, while Summers had the same total in addition to five block assists in just two sets. Averi Lanman had five block assists on the evening, and Brooks had four. Emma Lyons led the back row with 17 digs, and Logan Smith posted a double-double with 26 assists and 10 digs. Ainsley Neighbors had 15 assists in three sets.

The Knights finished the match with 11 service aces, with four belonging to Lyons and three to Christiansen.

Marian will go on the road on Friday night before returning home on Saturday afternoon for senior day, as they take on Grace College in Winona Lake. First serve on Friday night is set for 7:00 p.m.



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