Lancer Nation reacts to a point Grace scored Friday night in its volleyball match against Bethel. (Photo by Sam Baker)

WINONA LAKE – Grace’s students were out in full support to witness Grace’s volleyball team sweep Bethel on Friday night.

The Lady Lancers rallied in the last set to secure an emotion-packed 3-0 win over the Pilots (5-11, 0-3 Crossroads League).

Deborah Michalski led all players with 11 kills, and Alexa Hill had a double-double of 33 assists and 10 digs.

Grace’s defense was sharp, holding Bethel to a .065 team hitting percentage; the Lady Lancers (5-9, 1-2 CL), on the other hand, had 36 kills at a .168 clip.

The first set went according to script for Grace. The Lady Lancers scored the first four points and soon after went up 10-3. Bethel was not able to recover en route to a 25-13 Grace win.

The teams could hardly be separated in the second set. The Pilots grabbed a slight edge at 19-17, but Grace responded with three straight points, sparked by two kills by Michalski.

Gabbey Harrington smashed a timely kill near the end, and Makayla Bell ended the game 25-23 with an ace.

Grace seemed on the verge of a sweep, holding a 17-14 lead after Alexa Hill tipped over a kill. But the Pilots ripped off seven unanswered points to hold a 21-17 lead, which forced a timeout from head coach Katie Van Hofwegen.

The timeout did the trick as Grace quickly recovered. Bethel scored the next point, but the rest of the match belonged to the Lady Lancers. Grace ended the match on an 8-1 run.

A timeout by Bethel could not stop Grace’s momentum. Harrington tied the score 23-23 with a solo block.

Bell then picked up a kill, and Emily Sharp finished off the Pilots with an ace on the final play to send the red-clad crowd into bedlam at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.

Bell finished with eight kills on a .353 percentage, and Harrington had seven kills and five digs. Caroline Meyer and Gina Novotny tied for team honors with 13 digs, and Grace Erwin added 10 digs.

The Lady Lancers will make a short road trip on Saturday to Goshen for a 3 p.m match.