Foresters Stumble in Crossroads Clash at #22 Taylor 

Upland, Ind. – The Forester volleyball team (11-3, 2-2 CL) went toe-to-toe with rival #22 Taylor (12-4,3-1) on Saturday afternoon but ultimately came up short in four sets, dropping the Crossroads League contest 25-19, 24-26, 21-25, 21-25. 

The Foresters came out strong in the opening frame, hitting .170 as a team and securing a 25-19 win to take the early lead. Despite a hard-fought second set that went down to the wire, HU couldn't hold off the Trojans' late push, and Taylor used that momentum to seal the deal.  

Sophomore Maggie Hollon powered Huntington's offense with a team-high 17 kills while also adding a block assist. Haley Kruse chipped in 8 kills, while Leah Carter and Trevyn Terry tallied 7 and 6 kills respectively, each adding four block assists at the net. 

Setter Kennedy Urban directed the attack with 20 assists to go along with 14 digs, and Lauren Ross contributed 15 helpers and 9 digs. On the defensive end, libero Layla Meyer anchored the back row with 25 digs to keep rallies alive. 

As a team, Huntington registered 51 kills, 88 digs and 16 total blocks in one of their grittiest defensive efforts of the season. 

"Letting set two slip through our fingers was a pivotal moment in the match," said head coach Kelsey Herber. "After our match with Mount Vernon, our goal was to train and grow in finishing a tight set. I'm disappointed we didn't execute that today. We will continue to train that both mentally and fundamentally moving forward." 

With the setback, HU moves to 11-3 overall, 2-2 in league play. The Foresters return home next week for a two-match slate against Marian University (Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.) and Indiana Wesleyan University (Saturday at 1:00 p.m.). Huntington will look to bounce back and regain their early season swagger.  

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.