Foresters Dominate Down the Stretch to Open League Play with Win

Huntington, Ind. – The HU volleyball team continued its hot start to the 2025 campaign on Wednesday night, pulling away late to secure a four-set victory over Saint Francis (25–23, 22–25, 25–13, 25–11) at Platt Arena. With the win, the Foresters improve to 10–1 overall and 1–0 in Crossroads League action.

The night had its tense moments early, as the Cougars pushed Huntington to the brink in the opening set before the Foresters closed on a late surge to sneak out a 25–23 win. Saint Francis responded in the second, capitalizing on HU errors and evening the match at a set apiece. From there, however, Huntington settled in and put together one of its most dominant stretches of the season, outscoring the Cougars 50–24 over the final two frames.

The turning point came in the third set, when the Foresters hit a blistering .333 as a team, their most efficient frame of the evening. Strong serving runs from Lauren Ross and Layla Meyer created separation, while Haley Kruse found her rhythm on the outside. Kruse finished with a match-high 12 kills to go along with 13 points.

Ross was a steady hand for the Forester offense, distributing 24 assists and adding nine digs, two service aces, and three kills from the back row. Her ability to spread the ball around allowed outside hitters Maisyn Robrock and Maggie Hollon to thrive. Robrock turned in eight kills on .227 hitting while contributing three blocks, and Hollon matched her with eight kills of her own.

Defensively, Huntington put together a complete performance. Meyer anchored the back row with 14 digs, and libero Olivia Krahn chipped in 10 more as HU out-dug the Cougars 58–56. At the net, the Foresters' length and timing proved to be the difference. Leah Carter stuffed five blocks, while Robrock, Trevyn Terry, and Hollon combined for seven more.

"Tonight we started flat, and we need to learn from it so we can come out strong in the remainder of our conference matches, said head coach Kelsey Herber. "I love that we flipped the switch and were truly ourselves in sets three and four. We raised our defensive intensity an offensive aggression, and it carried us through the rest of the match."

The statistical comparison told the story: Huntington outhit Saint Francis .172 to .023 and finished with an 11-point advantage in kills (44–33). The Foresters also turned defense into offense, using their 15 team blocks to create transition scoring opportunities.

The Foresters will look to build on their strong start when they host Bethel on Saturday for another Crossroads League test. The first serve is set for 1:00 p.m. in Platt Arena.

The Huntington University Foresters compete in 18 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 181 NAIA All-America honors and 631 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.