WINONA LAKE, Ind. - Grace's volleyball team gave newly-minted No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan all it could handle on Wednesday.

The Lancers (18-9, 9-7 Crossroads League) battled to a 3-1 defeat, pushing the undefeated Wildcats to a fierce test at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.

Wednesday marked just the fourth time that a team has taken a set against the Wildcats (27-0, 16-0 CL) this season.

Statistically, the teams played nearly even. Both teams had 49 kills. IWU had five more aces (7-2) and six more block points (14-8) than Grace, but the Lancers had six more digs (69-63) and one more assist.

In the first set, the Wildcats quickly grabbed a 10-5 lead. But a pair of blocks from Livia Tate helped Grace pull back within one.

The Wildcats began to edge away during the middle portions of the set, benefitting from a handful of Grace errors. The Lancers did their best to rally with a late 5-1 spurt, but IWU held on for a 25-20 victory.

Grace's offense was dominant in the second set. The Lancers' first eight points all came from kills, including two apiece from Katie Swanson, Alisha Leffring and Jadyn Ross.

The Lancers opened up a 16-11 cushion midway into the set, but the Wildcats swiftly rallied for a 17-17 deadlock.

With the score still even at 19s, Grace turned to Swanson. The senior pounded out three kills over the final few rallies, including the final point as Grace won 25-22. Ross also had a timely ace to keep Grace's momentum.

The Lancers had 15 kills while holding IWU to nine kills in the set. Swanson had six kills on eight attempts during Grace's win.

The Wildcats opened up a fast 10-5 cushion in the third set. The lead grew to 21-14 before a well-placed timeout gave Grace a boost.

The Lancers charged out of the timeout with a 5-1 run thanks to an ace from Paige Vander Goot and two kills by Leffring.

Grace traded points with the Wildcats over the final few rallies, but IWU's gap was enough to produce a 25-21 win. Swanson and Ross each had five kills in the set.

The teams battled evenly for much of the fourth set. Grace pulled on top 14-10, aided by three kills from Ross.

The Lancers remained in front 18-15 after another kill from Ross, but Grace hit a major drought which derailed its upset bid.

The Wildcats rattled off seven unanswered points, blowing through a pair of Grace timeouts to run away with a 25-19 win. IWU ended the match on a 10-1 run.

Swanson racked up 17 kills in the match on a .417 percentage, adding three block assists. Ross was dynamic with 15 kills, 12 digs and 2 block assists.

Riley Owens directed Grace's offense with 44 assists, 12 digs and 2 block assists, and Liz Schmidt led all players with 18 digs.

Leffring finished with nine kills, Tate had a solo block and six block assists, and McKenzie Stakely added nine digs. Anna Ballengee also notched five kills for Grace's attack.

Grace is currently in fifth place in the league standings with two matches to play.

The Lancers end the regular season on the road. Grace will travel to No. 23 Mt. Vernon Nazarene on Friday and to Huntington on Saturday.