Women’s Volleyball – Forester Feed

Forester Invitational Day 1

The Huntington University volleyball team kicked off the 2025 season in dominant fashion, rolling to two wins on day one of the Forester Invitational.

In the opener, the Foresters made quick work of Calumet College of St. Joseph, sweeping the Crimson Wave 25-12, 25-13, 25-12. Maisyn Robrock and Leah Carter paced the offense with seven kills apiece, while setter Kennedy Urban handed out 19 assists. On the defensive side, Layla Meyer anchored the back row with 11 digs and added three aces. Haley Kruse also landed three aces and chipped in four kills.

HU’s serving game was sharp from the start, piling up 15 aces and more than doubling Calumet in kills (34-16).

The momentum carried into the second match of the day as Huntington downed Governors State 3-1 (25-17, 25-27, 25-9, 25-13). Carter led a high-powered attack with 13 kills, Kruse followed with 12, and Robrock added 10. Urban and Amanda Ailes ran the offense with 31 and 19 assists respectively.

Defensively, Meyer turned in a standout performance with 22 digs, while Olivia Krahn added 10 digs and three aces. The Foresters delivered another double-digit serving effort with 10 aces and overpowered the Jaguars at the net, tallying 58 kills to their 26.

“Our team goal today was to play at our highest level and constantly find ways to improve,” said Forester Head Coach Kelsey Herber. “I thought our team did an excellent job at having that mindset. I thought we spread out our offense well, which made us hard to defend. We are excited for two more opportunities to grow tomorrow.”

HU (2-0) returns to action tomorrow with a 10:00 a.m. match against Wilberforce before taking on #RV Rio Grande at 2:00 p.m.

Forester Invitational Day 2

The Huntington University Foresters delivered another dominant performance in The Forester Invitational, sweeping both Wilberforce (OH) and #RV Rio Grande in straight sets to remain unbeaten on the season at 4-0.

Huntington set the tone early in the morning matchup against Wilberforce, showcasing a balanced offense and suffocating serve pressure en route to a convincing sweep (25-18, 25-5, 25-16).

The Foresters hit an efficient .349 as a team, led by Maisyn Robrock who posted 9 kills and 2 blocks, while Kennedy Urban dished out 18 assists and landed a game-high 4 service aces. Leah Carter added 7 kills on a blazing .583 hitting, and Haley Kruse contributed 7 kills and 2 aces of her own.

Defensively, Huntington held Wilberforce to just a .059 hitting percentage, forcing 26 attack errors. The second set was particularly lopsided, as Huntington cruised to a 25-5 win, their largest margin of the day.

In the afternoon contest, the Foresters faced a tougher challenge against previously undefeated Rio Grande (3-0), but still maintained their poise to earn another sweep. Entering the contest, Rio Grande was receiving votes in the preseason NAIA poll.

After edging out a tight first set, Huntington turned up the intensity in the second with a 25-11 rout, holding the Red Storm to a -.053 hitting percentage.

Haley Kruse was the star of the match with 8 kills, 3 service aces, and 2 block assists for a match-high 12.5 points. Robrock continued her strong day with 9 more kills, while Maggie Hollon and Leah Carter chipped in 8 and 6 kills respectively. Setter Kennedy Urban added 17 more assists, and libero Layla Meyer anchored the defense with 17 digs.

Rio Grande struggled to find rhythm offensively, hitting just .081 for the match. Taylor Bartrum led the team with 10 kills but committed 7 errors.

“I was transparent with our team that Rio Grande would be the strongest team we’d see this weekend”, said Forester coach Kelsey Herber. I love the way my girls rose to the occasion with intensity, encouragement of one another, and a genuine love for the game. I thought our defensive fueled our offense, and I appreciate the scoring threat that each of our attackers were. This is a great start, and we are eager to continue growing each step of the way!”

Huntington ends the day with a perfect 4-0 record, having only dropped a single set across four matches. With strong contributions from veterans and newcomers alike, and depth across all positions, the Foresters appear poised for a strong season. They’ll look to continue their hot start next week as non-conference play continues.