WINONA LAKE, Ind. – Grace's volleyball team gave Crossroads League leader Bethel all it could handle on Friday night, but the Pilots pulled out a tensely fought 3-2 win at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.

The Lady Lancers (17-10; 8-7 CL) recorded four more kills and 19 more digs than the Pilots (20-8; 14-1 CL), but Bethel made their points count. The Pilots won each of their three sets by three or fewer points.

In front of a "Red Out" crowd at the MOCC, Grace opened the match red-hot with seven straight points to force a timeout from Bethel. The Lady Lancers continued their momentum and won the opening set 25-18 on a kill by senior Dana Johnston.

The Pilots recovered in the second set and stayed in front throughout. Grace, who trailed by as many as five points, struggled to close the gap until the very end. Bethel's lead shrunk to 23-22 before a well-placed timeout allowed the Pilots to close out the game, 25-22.

A similar story occurred in the third set. Grace trailed 22-16 before stringing together six straight points. Johnston produced another clutch kill to knot the score at 24-24, but the Pilots scored the final two points to win their second set.

The fourth set was intensely fought as Grace finally gained a slight edge at 17-14. The Lady Lancers' offense was fueled with 16 kills in the set as Calah Kruse's smash down the line won the game at 25-22.

The decisive fifth set tilted Grace's direction as the Lady Lancers notched the first three points of the tiebreaker. The score swung back in Bethel's favor, however, as the Pilots opened up a 12-9 advantage. Grace had its back to the wall, trailing 14-11, but the Lady Lancers fought off two match points to bring themselves to within a point at 14-13. Their charge fell short as the Pilots closed out the match with a kill at 15-13.

Calah Kruse and Dana Johnston were Grace's top hitters on the evening. Kruse produced 21 kills and 22 digs, and Johnston tied for match honors with 23 kills, 2 solo blocks and 2 block assists.

Freshman Kaitlin Kerrigan pounded out 12 kills on a .220 percentage, and Hannah Clemmons led the team with 32 digs. Ellie Harp tallied 54 assists, 12 digs and 2 block assists, and Jessica Scherb served up four aces to go along with 23 digs.

Grace's seniors Dana Johnston and Allyssa Johnson were honored before the match in the team's Senior Night. The duo has helped Grace to two straight appearances at NCCAA Nationals.

The Lady Lancers will wrap up their home season on Saturday when they host Indiana Wesleyan at 3 p.m.