Think I may have found the culprit. Cymbal bleed. With an acoustic set and no drummer I could put back more frequencies on the vocal 31 band eq. I had been hearing cymbal bleed in the mics but could not verify they were the main culprit until a set was done without them. There is a plexi shield but no roof. I need to get the chuch to invest in a roof for the drums and some sorber panels.
Yeah, this is why on small indoor stages it's common to dispense with overheads, because the vocal mics have that covered. It's actually kind of a cool effect when the singer steps up to the mic and blocks some of the bleed for a ducking effect on the cymbals.
But if the bleed is bad enough you have to find another solution. More controlled playing is the best option. Quieter cymbals or even cymbal triggers could be the way to go. Shields are rather drastic in my opinion, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.