Huntington Pushes No. 7 IWU Early, Drops Three-Set Match
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Indiana Wesleyan (IN) (10-3, 6-0) | 26 | 27 | 25 | 3 |
|
Huntington (IN) (12-4, 3-3) | 24 | 25 | 11 | 0 |
Huntington, Ind. – The Huntington University volleyball team put up a fight in front of their home crowd at Platt Arena but couldn't overcome No. 7 Indiana Wesleyan, falling in straight sets (26–24, 27–25, 25–11) Saturday afternoon. The loss moves the Foresters to 12–4 on the season and an even 3–3 in Crossroads League play.
Huntington had their chances early, pushing the nationally ranked Wildcats deep into the first two frames before coming up short. The Foresters hit .238 in set one and .149 in set two, showing strong efficiency at the net before Indiana Wesleyan took control in the third.
Maggie Hollon led HU with 10 kills, while Leah Carter (5 kills, .267 hitting) and Allie Boyer (5 kills, .250 hitting) provided steady support. Setter Kennedy Urban handed out 15 assists and added five digs, while libero Layla Meyer anchored the defense with a team-high 23 digs.
"The positive take-away from today is that we know we have the ability to compete at the highest level," said coach Kelsey Herber. "IWU Is always a great test of where you stack up both in this conference and nationally. We unraveled fundamentally in the third set, which is disappointing. We will learn, grow, and move forward as we head into a big week of matches."
Despite the loss, the Foresters demonstrated a competitive spirit, particularly in the first two sets against one of the NAIA's premier programs. Huntington will look to bounce back on Monday in a non-conference match up with Manchester before returning to conference play on Wednesday at Goshen. The first serve on Monday is set for 6:00 p.m.
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.