MISHAWAKA, Ind. - The strong start to the season for Grace's volleyball team continued on Friday.

Grace picked up two more wins, improving to 5-1 on the young season, at the Bethel Invitational. The Lancers blanked Michigan-Dearborn 3-0 before topping Cumberland 3-1 in the evening finale.

In Friday's opener, Grace made quick work of Michigan-Dearborn (UMD). The Lancers attacked and defended efficiently in a well-rounded performance.

The first set was the closest. The teams could scarcely be separated throughout the set, leading to a tie score at 16, 17, 19 and 20.

But with the set knotted at 20-20, Grace had three straight kills from Livia Tate, Sahara Bee and Cassadi Colbert. Bee added another kill two points later as Grace secured the win at 25-21.

In the second set, Grace quickly surged ahead 14-6. The Wolverines were unable to bridge the gap and lost by nine points.

Grace was never in trouble during the third set. The Lancers almost immediately grabbed a seven-point cushion. UMD had no response as Grace cruised to the eight-point win.

Katie Swanson amassed eight kills on 11 attempts (.727 percentage), and Bee had eight kills on 12 tries (.667).

Jadyn Ross finished with 7 kills, 9 digs, 1 solo block and 3 block assists, and Alisha Leffring also had seven kills.

Morgan Syoen passed out 20 assists, Riley Owens notched 13 assists, and McKenzie Stakely tallied eight digs.

Grace wrapped up the day with a hard-fought, four-set victory against Cumberland.

The Lancers opened the match commandingly with a 25-15 win. The Phoenix countered with a four-point win in the second set to even the match.

Eventually, Grace's strong serving and blocking carried the day. Grace outpaced Cumberland 25-17 in both the third and fourth sets to secure the win.

Stats for the Cumberland match will be available later this weekend.

Tomorrow, Grace will wrap up tourney play with a 1 p.m. match against IU South Bend.