VOLLEYBALL

The Forester volleyball team got back on track Friday night by opening up the Racer Classic with two big wins at Elida High School.

The first W was a gritty 3-2 decision (19-25, 25-20, 21-25, 32-30, 15-11) over host UNOH that snapped a four-game skid which included a pair of five-set losses.

“I am so proud of our team today,” said Coach Kelsey Herber. “We allowed our past heartbreaking five-set losses to be growth opportunities that led us to finishing today.

“It was a team effort, and we certainly brought a dawg mentality. Our expectation is to walk into the gym tomorrow with confidence ready for day two.”

HU is trending in the right direction against the Racers having won their last two outings which comes on the heels of nine straight losses.

Most impressive about Huntington’s win was their fight in the marathon fourth set. Down 24-20, HU rattled off four straight points behind two kills by Kortney Grimm. It was their first of three set points that they were able to rally back from to eventually outlast their hosts and force the rubber match. Herber’s crew never trailed in the final set.

To say it was a team effort would be an understatement. Offensively four Foresters logged double-digit kills. Haley Kruse and Grimm established new career-highs of 18 and 17 kills respectively. Mariah Milledge put down 11 while Tya Bynum added ten kills on 18 swings for an impressive .389 hitting percentage.

Morgan Robrock set up her teammates to the tune of 39 assists to go along with 20 digs. Layla Meyer anchored the backline with 29 digs and ended the fourth and fifth set with a service ace.

Against Montreat shortly after, Huntington dug themselves in an 0-2 hole but stayed the course for another thrilling five-set win (27-29, 15-25, 27-25, 25-14, 15-10). HU was up by four points multiple times in the latter part of the pivotal third set only to watch their lead slip away. While it would have been easy to fold, the Foresters refused to do so and for their efforts were rewarded with the win.

It was smooth sailing after that as Huntington pulled away from the Cavaliers in the fourth set and then used a 9-1 run in the decisive fifth set to turn a three-point deficit into a 13-8 lead that they rode out for the victory.

Huntingtin is currently 3-2 on the season in five-set matches.

Bynum was a force on both sides of the net by tallying ten kills and racking up four solo blocks and tag-teaming another. Milledge had a banner performance to finish with a career-best 14 kills. Kruse and Grimm also got in on the action with 13 and 11 kills respectively.

Robrock matched her effort in game one with 39 assists. She also tracked down 16 digs. Meyer again enjoyed team-high dig honors with 23 while Olivia Krahn chipped in 16.

“In our second match, Tya was unstoppable offensively,” said Herber. “She can dominate any match she is in, and I’m excited for what we will see from her moving forward.”

Day two of the Racer Classic will see HU (3-6) battle Stephens at 1:00 p.m. and Lawrence Tech at 3:00 p.m.