VOLLEYBALL

In one of their grittiest performances of the year, the Forester volleyball team handed Taylor University their fourth straight loss Wednesday night at Platt Arena in a five-set thriller, 28-26, 16-25, 18-25, 29-27, 15-12.

The win draws HU even in league play at 1-1, 4-6 overall. The W also marks Huntington’s first win over the Trojans since August of 2016.

Most impressive about Shondell’s crew on this given night was their ability to fight back from being on the wrong side of game point multiple times.

“This one was fun,” said Shondell. “It wasn’t pretty, but it was fun. This team’s ability to roar back time and time again is remarkable.

“Ignoring a deficit and playing great volleyball together until you like the scoreboard is a sign of the unwavering confidence this team has in itself.”

The first comeback was the opening set. The Foresters were down to their last point twice with the turning point when Lauren Cresse hammered a shot just inside the ten-foot line to draw things even at 25-25 on the way to the 28-26 final.

Fast forward to the fourth set when Shondell’s crew found themselves down 24-21 but didn’t panic. Instead, the Foresters rattled off four straight points to take a 25-24 lead only to watch things seemingly slip away as the Trojans reclaimed game point twice. Again, there was no panic as the hosts scratched and clawed their way back in it.

Lanie McClanahan finally put the finishing touches on the come-from-behind win with her fifth kill of the set to end things at 29-27. Paige Eakright and Cresse also came up big in the fourth by adding four and three kills respectively.

Huntington then pounced on an 8-3 lead in the fifth that they were able to ride out for the win. McClanahan finished with 16 kills while Lindsay Ingenito and Tailor Schultheis added ten apiece.

“Lanie is a gamer,” noted Shondell. “In unique ways, she kept finding ways to score when we needed her to.”

Jenna Tacosik dished out career-best 51 assists to go along with three kills and two aces. The sophomore setter currently ranks 18th nationally in total assists (353) and 32nd in service aces (17). Ariene Butler posted 24 digs to pace HU’s defense. Nicole Flickinger finished with 11.

“In the end, it was our defense that carried us and that’s a trend I can get behind,” said Shondell to summarize tonight’s contest.

HU has their work cut out from them as they head to #19 Saint Francis on Friday for a 7:00 p.m. showdown with the Cougars.