HU starts off strong but can't hang on

WINONA LAKE, Ind.  – The HU volleyball team got off to a solid start against Grace Friday night at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center to come out on top of a tight first set. Unfortunately the Lancers took charge after that to reel off three straight wins to claim the 3-1 victory, 23-25, 25-16, 25-21, 25-18.

The first set saw the lead toggle back and forth early on but once the guests took a 7-6 advantage, they trailed just one possession the rest of the way but faced nine ties before eventually squeaking past GC.

After that, Huntington did themselves no favors. They dug themselves into a hole at the start of each set forcing them to play catch up to no avail.  

Haley Kruse finished with a team-high 12 kills in addition to tracking down 17 digs. Kortney Grimm and Leah Carter posted nine and eight kills respectively. Seeing her first significant amount of PT, Nigella Reck added four kills.

Morgan Robrock ran the offense by handing out 33 assists to go along with logging 11 digs and two blocks. Layla Meyer protected the backline with 25 digs. She also finished with three aces.

"Our lack of consistency and unforced errors are what's preventing us from wins," noted Coach Kelsey Herber. "We have to find a way to mentally flip a switch that determines the end of a run for the other team.

"We have an opportunity to compete tomorrow, but tonight I've requested that the team sit in this and hate it. We have to feel the weight of a loss deep enough for it to motivate us to change before we move forward."

Huntington (12-8, 3-6) is back on the road tomorrow to start the second round of league play. The Foresters are currently sitting in seventh at the midway point of CL action. They'll make the quick trip to Fort Wayne on Saturday to face Saint Francis at 4:00 p.m.

The Huntington University Foresters compete in 18 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 154 NAIA All-America honors and 501 All-America Scholar Athlete honors. Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. U.S. News & World Report ranks Huntington among the best colleges in the Midwest.