The fall sports season has started out with a bang for Spring Arbor Athletics, evidenced by the three sports currently in action; men's soccer, women's soccer, and volleyball; combining for a perfect 17-0-2 record through three weeks of competition. The last week saw all three teams play at their home facilities, with volleyball and women's soccer competing at home for the first time this season in front of some fantastic, energetic crowds. 
 
Here are some highlights from the last week:
 
Men's Soccer:
 
Results: Win vs. St. Francis (IL) 4-0; Win vs. Judson 1-0
 
Top Performers:
Ian Lama – 2 Goals, 4 Points, 5 Shots
Alex Murphy – 2 Goals, 4 Points, 6 Shots
Caleb Swartzendruber – 1 Goal, 1 Assist, 3 Points
Jack Cristini – 2 Wins, 2 Shutouts, 8 Saves
 
 
The Spring Arbor Men's Soccer team had an exciting week on the pitch, collecting two big wins against a pair of Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference foes, defeating St. Francis (IL) 4-0 on Wednesday, and edging out Judson 1-0 on Saturday.
     Wednesday's contest was controlled by the Cougars almost immediately, putting constant pressure on the Fighting Saints defense, and finally breaking through in the 24^th minute as Ian Lama found the back of the net, set up by a Parker DeLange assist. The Cougars would score three more times in the second half, with Lama scoring another, and Alex Murphy and Caleb Swartzendruber each scoring their first goals of the season, completing the 4-0 victory. 
     Saturday's contest was much more competitive, as Judson was able to get more pressure on the Spring Arbor defense than any other team this season. However, senior goalie Jack Cristini held strong, thwarting every Eagle attack, and notching 6 saves, along with his fourth straight shutout to begin the 2025 campaign. Murphy was able to find the back of the net early in the 10^th minute for his second goal of the week, and that was all the Cougars would need to secure the 1-0 win. 
     Spring Arbor is now 4-0 on the season and will travel to Florida this week for two big-time matchups with (18) Keiser on Thursday and (RV) St. Thomas on Saturday. 
 
Women's Soccer:
 
Results: Tie vs. (8) Cumberlands 1-1
 
Top Performers:
Maislin Joldersma – 1 Goal, 2 Points, 3 Shots
Ayla Thompson – 1 Assist, 1 Point
Reagan Kohler – 4 Saves
 
Women's Soccer took the pitch at the Cougar Soccer Complex for the first time this season on Saturday afternoon, taking on (8) Cumberlands in a highly anticipated top ten matchup between two of the premier programs in NAIA Women's Soccer. The matchup would live up to its billing, as Spring Arbor struck first in the 19^th minute on a Maislin Joldersma goal and would take that 1-0 lead into half. Cumberlands would respond 20 minutes into the second half with a goal of their own, capitalizing on a bizarre sequence of events that led to Spring Arbor having to play with only 10 players for a brief period. After that, both teams had multiple opportunities to surge ahead in the final 25 minutes but could not do so, and the highly competitive matchup ended in a 1-1 draw. 
             The Cougars will be at home again for their only match this week, taking on (14) Campbellsville in another ranked matchup Monday afternoon at 4:00 PM. 
 
 
Volleyball:
 
Results: Win vs. (RV) Cornerstone 3-2; Win vs. Olivet Nazarene 3-0; Win vs. Trinity Christian 3-1, Win vs. Calumet St. Joseph 3-0. 
 
Top Performers:
Kelsie Lilly – 38 Kills, 4 Blocks
Keely Hinzman – 35 Kills, 18 Blocks
Camy Wedge – 76 Assists, 34 Digs
Gabby Bryja – 41 Assists, 16 Digs
Aliza Munro – 42 Digs, 19 Assists
 
Spring Arbor Volleyball came into the last week on a record-breaking start to their season, and they continued to stay perfect, with four big wins moving their record to 12-0. 
        The Cougars started their week matching up with a talented Cornerstone team who quickly won the first two sets and put the Cougars perfect season in jeopardy. However, Spring Arbor responded in front of an electric student section in the Mac, winning the next three sets and taking down the Golden Eagles in five sets, 3-2. 
       On Friday and Saturday, the ladies would make the short trip over to Adrian for the Siena Heights Labor Day Invitational, and once again asserted their dominance, disposing of Olivet Nazarene in three straight sets, downing Trinity Christian in four, and sweeping Calumet St. Joseph, 3-0. 
       The Cougars enter Crossroads League play with some astounding numbers so far, only dropping 8 sets in their twelve contests, along with outpacing their opponents in kills, 508 to 402; assists, 452 to 377; aces, 77 to 54; and total blocks, 104.0 to 50.5. 
They will face their first major tests right away in conference play this week, as they take on (22) Marian in Indianapolis on Wednesday and the defending national champions (1) Indiana Wesleyan on Saturday at home. 


Home Events This Week:
Monday:
Women's Soccer vs. (14) Campbellsville, 4:00 PM
Tuesday:
Reserve Volleyball vs. Siena Heights, 7:30 PM
Wednesday:
Women's Reserve Soccer vs. Aquinas, 7:00 PM
Thursday: 
Men's Reserve Soccer vs. Olivet, 7:30 PM
Saturday: 
Volleyball vs. (1) Indiana Wesleyan, 3:00 PM