VOLLEYBALL

After getting beat on their home turf last month, the Lancers (11-14, 4-10) of Grace College returned the favor to the HU volleyball team by stealing a 3-1 decision, 28-26, 23-25, 25-13, 25-20, from their hosts Friday night at Platt Arena.

The first set could have gone either way as the two teams traded match points several times before Grace eventually strung together three straight points to nab the W. Huntington bounced back to take set two before the guests cruised to victories in the next two sets for the regular season split.

“I was proud of how we came out strong tonight after a flat start against Saint Francis,” said Coach Kelsey Herber. “However, we did not maintain the mentality we needed to in order to walk away with a win. On an off night, our energy has to be sustained to carry us through to victory.”

Abby Robinson came up big on both sides of the ball for HU by putting down a game-tying 17 kills, sharing the honor with Grace’s Anna Frey, as well as tracking down a game-best 19 digs.

Tya Bynum also posted some impressive numbers at the net by logging ten kills and 2.5 blocks. Lindsay Ingenito added 12 kills while Morgan Robrock organized the offense by dishing out 47 assists.

The Lancers’ blocking, nine on the night, proved an issue for Herber’s crew. “Grace did a great job of blocking against us, and we did not make needed adjustments to work around their block. We also got used on the block, not remaining disciplined.”

With four regular season league matches remaining, HU, Grace and Spring Arbor all share a piece of sixth place in the conference standings with a 4-10 CL record.

“One of my favorite things about this conference is you can’t sit in disappointment for long before you have to turn around and play another match,” said Herber. “We have an opportunity to flip a switch as we take on IWU tomorrow.”

The Foresters (12-17, 4-10) are back in Platt Arena tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. to host #22 Indiana Wesleyan.