WINONA LAKE – Volleyball saw a milestone at its home Lancer Classic while both soccer programs found success on the road.

GRACE VOLLEYBALL 1-1 AT LANCER CLASSIC

Grace senior Kelsee Zuidema recorded her 1,000th career kill on Friday at the annual Lancer Classic.

The Lady Lancers split the opening day of the Lancer Classic, sweeping Lindenwold-Belleville and falling to IU Kokomo in a dramatic five-setter.

Zuidema became the 10th player in program history to record 1,000 kills in a Lady Lancer uniform, earning the feat in the nightcap against IU Kokomo.

In the opening match of the tournament, Grace had little trouble ousting Lindenwood-Belleville. The Lady Lancers won each of the first two sets by 25-17. Grace cruised in the third game with a dominant 25-15 win.

Zuidema had an impressive outing, racking up 14 kills on a .480 percentage; she had seven kills in the first set alone.

Caylie Teel produced another double-double—her fourth of the season—with 12 kills and 14 digs to go along with three block assists. Alexa Hill passed out 34 assists and eight digs, Gina Novotny dug up 10 balls, Caroline Mayer had seven digs, and Makaela Lochmueller added six kills and two block assists.

The final match of the day was a battle with IU Kokomo, a perennial NAIA national qualifier. The Cougars impressed in the opening set with a nine-point win as Grace struggled to slow down IUK’s attack.

The second set was tightly contested. But the Cougars pulled away late by winning five of the final six points in a 25-19 victory.

IU Kokomo seemed well on its way to a three-set victory, taking a commanding 13-5 lead in the third set. But Grace went on a game-changing 11-2 run at that point to pull back in front 16-15.

Zuidema was unstoppable during Grace’s run, accounting for six points by herself with five kills and an ace. Kelsey Smith added a pair of blocks during that spurt, and Emily Sharp and Hill also aced.

Grace managed to eke out a 25-23 win to stay alive and keep a rambunctious crowd on its feet.

Momentum remained on Grace’s side in the fourth set. The Cougars seemed shell-shocked and were blown out 25-11 to set up a decisive fifth game.

The Cougars recovered in the tiebreaker and scored the first three points. The teams played evenly for the remainder of the set, but IU Kokomo’s early lead was enough in a 15-12 victory.

Zuidema had 19 kills on a .354 percentage to go along with six digs and two aces. Hill tallied 50 assists, her sixth time hitting that milestone in her career, to go along with 18 digs.

Teel amassed 20 digs and nine kills, and Lexy Oppenhuis produced 17 kills and three block assists.

Novotny (17 digs) and Mayer (14 digs) were strong in defense, and Smith added 5 kills, 1 solo block and 4 block assists.

The Lady Lancers will end their home tournament on Saturday with an 11 a.m. match against St. Ambrose and a 3 p.m. match against IU East.

GRACE WOMEN’S SOCCER 3, GRAND VIEW 0

The 2018 season for Grace’s women’s soccer team started on a high note with a 3-0 win over Grand View on Friday.

Three different players scored for the Lady Lancers in a convincing road performance.

Grace was aggressive from the opening kickoff in their season debut. The Lady Lancers outshot the Vikings 11-2 before halftime, picking up a pair of goals in the process.

The first goal of the year was scored less than 15 minutes into the match. Shelby Fort received a pass at the top of the penalty box. She deked her way around two defenders and buried her shot just under the crossbar.

Less than 15 minutes later, the Lady Lancers doubled their lead. Kristen Bellinger won possession for Grace in the attacking third. She played a nifty give-and-go pass with Corinne Villalobos to make her way into the box, and Bellinger proceeded to blast a low shot inside the near post at the 28:54 mark.

The shots continued to fly in the first half for Grace, forcing the Vikings to make five saves. Grand View went into halftime behind 2-0.

The third goal of the night was also the first career goal from freshman Baylei Peters. In the 70th minute, Peters took advantage of a defensive miscue by Grand View, calming slotting her shot into the net for the final tally.

Bethany Blackwood, playing her first collegiate match as the team’s goalkeeper, picked up her first collegiate shutout. She made three saves in 90 minutes, protected well by the backline of Anna Kuhl, Aubrey Feipel, Clair Snodgrass and Liz Aalbue.

Liz Van Wormer led all players with four shots, and Bellinger and Fort each had three.

Brooke Kohler, Sarah Casteel and Cassidy Wasson also made their debuts for the Lady Lancers on Friday.

The Lady Lancers will end their Iowa trip on Saturday with an 8 p.m. match against Graceland.

GRACE MEN’S SOCCER 0, LINDSEY WILSON 0

While they didn’t score a goal, Grace’s men’s soccer team secured one of its biggest road results in recent memory on Friday.

The Lancers produced a scoreless draw at No. 9 Lindsey Wilson, playing two overtimes in the process.

Grace had chances to secure the upset toward the end of the match. Most notably, in the second overtime Grace misfired on a chance to score the golden goal with an untended net. The Lancers also had a one-on-one chance with the Blue Raiders’ goalkeeper, but they were denied that attempt as well.

Lindsey Wilson was credited with 21 shots in the match but only six of those were on target.

Grace had 12 shot attempts with three being on goal.

The Blue Raiders could only muster on shot on goal in the two overtime periods compared to three for Grace.

Kurt Hamlin played all 110 minutes in goal for the Lancers; he made six saves to record the shutout.

Both teams recorded five corner kicks, and fouls called were nearly even (15-13, Grace).

Colin Cape led Grace with four shots, Cody Boerema tallied three shots, and Marcelo Talamas added two more.

The Lancers wrap up their trip in Kentucky on Saturday at 7 p.m. against Florida National.