WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace's volleyball team put up a valiant fight against Bethel on Wednesday, but the Lady Lancers fell in four sets.

Grace nearly pulled off the upset of the Pilots, who are riding a Crossroads League-best seven-match winning streak. But the Pilots used a strong defensive effort to slow down Grace's attack and hold on for the 3-1 win.

The teams traded points to begin the opening set. Sahara Bee gave Grace a boost in the early stage with a few kills. An ace by Riley Owens gave Grace a 13-9 lead which forced a timeout from Bethel.

Grace continued to roll, blowing past another Pilot timeout to win 25-16. Ross earned her fifth kill on the final rally of the set. Her five kills were nearly as many as Bethel's seven combined kills in the set.

But after hitting .455 in the first set (12 kills, 2 errors), Grace was unable to reach that same level offensively for the rest of the match.

The Pilots struck back with a quick 25-12 win in the second set to even the match.

In the third set, Bethel used a 9-1 run to charge ahead. The Pilots prevented any comeback down the stretch, winning 25-20.

Grace looked to prolong the match with a strong start in the fourth set. The Lady Lancers stunned Bethel with an 11-2 lead. Morgan Syoen gave the offense a jolt with two quick kills, and Emma Blackford also had a pair of aces early.

The Lady Lancers' feisty defense impressed during that run, including several strong plays by Paige Vander Goot.

The Pilots countered with an 12-1 run of their own, however, rebounding to grab a 14-12 lead.

Back-to-back kills from Cassadi Colbert tied the score at 14-14, but the Pilots scored two more to pull in front.

Grace did its best to stay alive, but Bethel made plays down the stretch to secure the victory 25-20.

Ross led all players with 10 kills, and she added 11 digs and two block assists. Colbert added seven kills on offense.

Riley Owens had another double-double with 18 assists and 12 digs, and Katie Swanson had 1 solo block, 3 block assists and 4 kills.

Blackford aced five times, and Vander Goot and Liz Schmidt each had eight digs.

The Lady Lancers are back in action next week, beginning with a home match on Wednesday night against Taylor.