WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Monday evening in Manchester was a bounce back day for the Forester volleyball team. The three set sweep of the NCAA D3 Manchester Spartans (4-4) marks the seventh consecutive victory for HU in the matchup of the two schools that are separated by just 20 miles on the map.   
 
Manchester took an early 10-4 lead in the first set before Huntington (9-4,1-1) went on a 21-12 run to win the first set 25-22. In the second set, the Spartans again led early before the Foresters fought back to tie it at 14. Lauren Ross and Leah Carter each recorded three kills in the 11-3 blitz to give HU the 25-17 set win. Manchester (4-4) jumped ahead in the third set 9-5, but Huntington once again got on a roll before ending the night with the 25-23 clinching win. 
 
Lauren Ross led the offense with eight kills and 18 assists on the night. Maisyn Robrock tallied seven kills, while Leah Carter and Trevyn Terry each had 6 kills from the middle. The Foresters defense covered their side of the court with a total team effort. Layla Meyer and Haley Kruse had 10 digs each, while Lauren Ross and Olivia Krahn each dug out nine Manchester attacks. 
 
Coach Kelsey Herber noted “I am proud of this team for getting the sweep tonight. We made effective adjustments with our blocking and served the ball aggressively. We want to work on starting stronger out of the gate each set and eliminating defensive hesitancy.” 
 
The Foresters have been on the road for each of the first 13 contests to start the season, traveling over 1,250 miles in the process. This Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. the Cougars of Mount Vernon Nazarene University will be making the nearly 400 mile round trip to take on the Foresters in Platt Arena. The Foresters will look to end a 12 game losing streak to the Cougars that dates back to September 2018. Coach Herber’s squad has been tested early this season and will be ready to welcome the Cougars to Platt Arena.  
 
“My challenge to the team is to treat every rep in practice on Tuesday as preparation for Mount Vernon on Wednesday,” said Herber. “It will be exciting to finally play a home match, and we know relentless defense and aggressive attacking is what it will take to win.”