WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

The Forester volleyball team delivered an electric start Saturday afternoon at Odle Arena, taking the opening set from 12th-ranked Taylor before the league-leading Trojans rallied to claim a four-set victory (22-25, 25-13, 25-15, 25-12) and complete the regular-season series sweep.

Sophomore outside hitter Maggie Hollon headlined the afternoon by reaching a historic milestone in her young career. With an 18-kill outing, Hollon eclipsed the 500-kill threshold on the season, becoming just the fourth player in Huntington program history to achieve the feat. Her season total now stands at 505 kills – ranking second in the nation across all NAIA programs – placing her within striking distance of Brittney Smelser’s all-time single-season school record of 548 set in 2007.

Huntington set the tone immediately in the opening frame, riding high-energy defense and aggressive serving to an early 5-1 advantage fueled by back-to-back aces from senior Trevyn Terry and early terminations from Hollon. Taylor battled back to level the frame at 19-19 and 21-21, but the Foresters refused to blink down the stretch. Consecutive kills by Hollon pushed HU to set point at 24-22 before freshman Ava Johnson capped the 25-22 victory with a service ace.

The host Trojans (25-5, 13-2 CL), who sit atop the Crossroads League standings with a one-game cushion over Indiana Wesleyan, responded emphatically with disciplined blocking and high-efficiency attacking over the final three frames. Taylor seized control of set two with a 10-0 run behind the serve of Margo Hernandez, flipping an 8-4 Forester lead into a 14-8 Trojan advantage before closing out a 25-13 win on a .438 hitting clip.

Taylor carried that momentum into the third set, breaking open a tight 6-6 contest with an 8-1 surge to take a 14-7 lead and eventual 25-15 victory. In the fourth frame, the Trojans hit an extraordinary .667 without committing an attack error, pulling away from an 8-8 deadlock with an 11-1 scoring blitz to secure the match with a 25-12 finish.

“I am so proud of how we came in set one competing our hearts out with undeniable energy. Our service pressure and aggressive attack led the way,” said Huntington head coach Kelsey Herber. “Taylor’s disciplined block and offensive fire power presented a challenge for our defense and ability to terminate the ball in sets 2 through 4.”

Hollon paced all attackers with 18 kills to lead the Forester offense, while Terry added seven kills and three service aces. Hallie Higgs provided efficient offense in the middle, tallying six kills on 13 swings with just one error to finish with a team-best .385 hitting percentage. Setter Lauren Ross directed the attack with 35 assists while chipping in four kills and five digs. Defensively, Kennedy Urban anchored the back row with a team-high 13 digs, followed by Jadyn Samson with seven.

With the loss, Huntington moves to 12-17 overall and 5-10 in Crossroads League play, currently holding seventh place in the conference standings with three regular-season contests remaining.

Up Next
The Foresters return to Platt Arena on Wednesday to host the three-time defending national champions Indiana Wesleyan. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.