VOLLEYBALL

Long rallies characterized Wednesday night’s contest that pitted the Forester volleyball team against the visiting Cougars of Spring Arbor University (15-6, 6-5). The three-set match was just shy of two hours and eventually favored SAU, 25-23, 31-29, 25-18.

Relentless play by both squads made for the long rallies on a night when not too many balls hit the hardwood without a few bodies doing the same.

“What a battle we watched tonight!” said Coach Shondell. “Punch for punch, this was one of those you love being a part of.

The Foresters enjoyed a lead in each set including a six-point advantage in each of the first two sets and a four-point tilt in set three but struggled down the stretch.

“We did our job early in each set in developing good leads; we just didn’t do a good enough job of fending off a scrappy opponent.”

Shondell praised the play of Paige Eakright, who finished with a match-high 12 kills and a .310 hitting percentage. “Paige was everything we needed her to be tonight. She was poised and aggressive at all times.”

Brandy Michie added seven kills for the Forester crew, while Lanie McClanahan added five.

Defensively, HU was on point, with Ariene Butler carrying the backline with a team-high 16 digs. Lauren Cresse led the charge at the net with three of her team’s seven blocks.

“Our block and backcourt defense frustrated them for sure,” noted Shondell. “We just needed to do more to translate stops into points.”

Huntington (7-16, 3-8) is back in Platt Arena on Friday of Homecoming to host Goshen at 7:00 p.m.