VOLLEYBALL

With a lot riding on the line, the Forester volleyball team (10-24, 6-12) picked up a 3-1 win, 25-22, 25-16, 20-25, 27-25, over Bethel in their last regular season match Wednesday evening at Platt Arena.

Both teams entered the contest with a 5-12 record in league play so with this W, HU secures the 7th seed in the Crossroads League tourney while the Pilots have to settle for the 8th seed. The victory also wraps up the season sweep over BC as their first meeting was a five-set win for the Foresters back on September 19.

Every squad wants to be peaking at this point in the season and the Foresters are doing just that. Home fans saw their team log a season-best .354 hitting percentage which included 61 kills on 106 attempts and just 19 errors.

Brandie Michie spearheaded the offensive charge with a match-high 18 kills on 28 swings. Paige Eakright put down 13 kills while Lauren Cresse added ten. Lindsay Ingenito and Tailor Schultheis each posted eight to round out a well-balanced attack.

“It’s a lot of fun to watch your team playing at a high level and we got to see that tonight,” said Shondell. “Brandy found that zone again and when she does she is dangerous. She put up video game numbers tonight.

“And when your outside hitters combine for 31 kills and only 9 errors, it makes everything else a lot easier.”

Defensively, Ingenito collected 2.5 of her team’s six blocks. The backline was controlled by Ariene Butler who finished with a match-high 19 digs. Tonight’s performance upped her season dig total to 652 which bumps her into fifth in the Forester record books for digs in a season.

“Our defense got better as the game wore on, but Bethel never stopped pressuring our weak spots,” noted Shondell. “Ariene did a great job of leading our backcourt and ensuring our defense didn’t break.”

Shondell and crew now turn their attention to postseason play. The 7th-seeded Foresters will travel to 2nd-seeded Saint Francis on Saturday for a 4:00 p.m. matchup with the Cougars in quarterfinal action of the Crossroads League tournament.

“I’m thrilled with the effort tonight, but our entire program knows where our focus is now, it’s tourney time and we are playing some of our best volleyball.”