WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

The Huntington University women’s volleyball team battled #7 Indiana Wesleyan University on Wednesday night before falling in straight sets to the three-time defending NAIA National Champions. The loss dropped the Foresters to 7-11 overall and 3-4 in Crossroads League play. 

Huntington came out aggressively and matched the Wildcats point-for-point early in the opening set. Behind the play of Maggie Hollon, Lauren Ross and Trevyn Terry, the Foresters built a 10-5 advantage and forced an Indiana Wesleyan timeout. The Wildcats responded with a momentum-changing 7-0 run fueled by the serving of Payton Barendsen and a pair of kills from Aubree Deshetsky to seize a 12-10 lead. Huntington continued to battle and closed within 23-21 late, but Indiana Wesleyan scored the final two points to claim the opener, 25-21. 

The Wildcats controlled much of the second set from the outset. Indiana Wesleyan built an 11-4 advantage before Huntington responded with a mid-set push behind kills from Maggie Hollon, Liz Blackburn, Allie Boyer and Trevyn Terry. The Foresters trimmed the deficit to 15-11 and later stayed within five points at 20-15, but Indiana Wesleyan’s efficient attack and strong play at the net allowed the hosts to pull away for a 25-16 win and a 2-0 lead in the match. 

The third set remained competitive early as Huntington stayed within 8-6 following a block by Blackburn and Terry. Indiana Wesleyan answered with another run to stretch the margin to 13-7 and never looked back, securing a 25-13 victory to complete the sweep. 

While Huntington generated offense throughout the evening, the Foresters struggled to find answers for one of the top attacks in the NAIA. Indiana Wesleyan recorded 48 kills with only six attack errors and finished with a .438 hitting percentage. The Wildcats hit .457 in the opening set, .394 in the second and .464 in the third. 

Sophomore Maggie Hollon led the Foresters with 10 kills and six digs. Liz Blackburn added nine kills, while Lauren Ross turned in another strong all-around performance with 24 assists and six kills while hitting .500. Allie Boyer contributed three kills on a .300 hitting percentage, and Hallie Higgs added two kills without committing an attack error. 

The difference came on the defensive side of the net. Indiana Wesleyan consistently terminated rallies and controlled play at the net with eight total blocks while adding eight service aces. The Wildcats also held advantages in digs (47-33), assists (44-26), service aces (8-3) and total blocks (8-1). 

The Foresters will look to regroup as they continue Crossroads League play on Saturday at Marian University. First serve is set for 1:00pm in Indianapolis.