VOLLEYBALL

The Forester volleyball team ran away with the fifth set on opening night of league play to notch a 3-2 win, 18-25, 25-20, 25-23, 19-25, 15-6, over Spring Arbor (5-4, 0-1) in the friendly confines of Platt Arena Wednesday night. It was HU’s first five-set match of the year, and the battle did not disappointment.

Most impressive about the evening was Huntington’s gritty bounce back after dropping the fourth set, allowing just six points in the rubber match for the runaway win. Lindsay Ingenito led the charge with three kills in the final set on her way to putting down a season-best and match-high 15 kills on 27 swings for a noteworthy .519 hitting percentage. The senior middle also trolled the net for 4.5 blocks which also led both squads.

Abby Robinson collected 12 kills on the night in addition to picking up 14 digs. Tya Bynum finished with eight kills while Anna Lewis rounded out the hosts’ balanced attack with seven. Morgan Robrock was up to her usual antics of doing a little bit of everything having dished out 36 assists while posting 17 digs, four aces, three kills and two blocks. Hannah Maier spearheaded HU’s defense by tracking down a match-best 19 digs.

Coach Herber was particularly proud of the play and poise of her seniors. “Lindsay Ingenito was an offensive weapon for us tonight. I told each player they need to channel their inner Lindsay and desire the ball when the game is on the line with the confidence to put it away.

“I could not be more grateful for her and Hannah Maier’s senior leadership. I told Hannah to lead one of the timeouts because she knows what the team needs to hear when the game is on the line.”

As a team, the Foresters outhit their guests 51-46 and logged a .135 hitting percentage to SAU’s .089. Not surprisingly, Huntington’s most efficient offensive set proved the last one which featured a .400 hitting percentage.

“I am incredibly proud of this team win tonight,” said Herber. “The way we had girls come off the sideline ready to be a spark in the fifth set and the way this team bounced back after a challenging fourth set sets the tone for the remainder of the season.”

Since Herber took over the reins in 2019, the Foresters have owned the series against Spring Arbor 4-2. Next up for the Foresters (4-3, 1-0) is the Manchester Invitational over the weekend.