VOLLEYBALL
The Huntington volleyball team opened the 2019 season with its own invitational and after a jittery first match against Brescia first thing Friday morning, HU bounced back to win a five-set thriller in the evening to kick off the season with a 1-1 record.
Despite the Foresters keeping it close in the first set against a tough-nosed Brescia squad and enjoying an early advantage in set two, the hosts eventually succumbed to the Bearcats in three straights, 25-19, 25-14, 25-15.
While it wasn’t the outcome Coach Herber would have preferred in her head coaching debut, there was reason to celebrate. Junior Ariene Butler highlighted the morning by posting her 1,000th career dig. The junior libero entered the match needing just nine digs to reach this significant milestone. She finished the match with a team-leading 12 digs.
The Foresters struggled to find its groove offensively with attacking errors the main culprit as errors outnumbered their 26 kills. Paige Eakright paced Herber’s crew with nine kills while setter Jennings Tacosik added eight kills on nine swings to go along with 16 assists.
BU’s Natalie Jones and Melissa Bell proved to be a handful for HU as the duo combined for 22 of their team’s 32 kills. Brescia was also successful at the net defensively to finish with six blocks to Huntington’s two.
The nightcap against Baker had a whole different feel as the Foresters brought an undeniable energy that saw them race out to a 10-1 advantage that they were able to ride out for a first set win of 25-22. The next two sets combined to feature 27 ties that both ended up favoring the Wildcats, 25-22, 28-26, before HU got back on track.
“Dave Schroeder used to be the head coach of this program, and he is now one of my assistants,” said Coach Herber. “He told me once, ‘Adrenaline will win you a couple of points. Confidence will win you matches.’
“That was the difference between match one and two today. We came out with some first game jitters but were able to come back a few hours later with new-found confidence.”
Behind five kills and a .400 hitting percentage in set four, Eakright willed her team to a 25-18 W and then followed up that performance with four more kills in the 15-10 rubber match to give Coach Herber her first win as the Forester skipper.
While Eakright finished with 17 kills on the afternoon, the win was undeniably a team effort as Tacosik added 12 kills to go along with 41 assists and four aces. Brandy Michie and Brea Metz finished nine and eight kills respectively.
Butler seemed to be the glue that held her team together. She didn’t let much touch the floor by collecting 27 digs while Eakright and Nicole Flickinger also finished with double digs of 17 and ten respectively.
“Ariene continues to amaze me each time I watch her play,” said Herber. “Her skill athleticism, mentality and leadership make her a gift to HU volleyball.
“After tonight’s match, I thought, ‘Did she just get her 2000th dig?’ She was on fire!”
Thrilled about her team’s performance today, Herber had this to say. “Words can’t begin to describe the gratitude I feel in my heart to lead this program. I pray I never forget what an honor it is. I love these girls, and I love this game.
“Today was just a taste of what’s to come for these women, and I can’t wait to watch them thrive on and off the court.”
The Foresters are back at it in the morning to face Tennessee Wesleyan at 9:00 a.m. They’ll take the court again at 5:00 p.m. to do battle with the University of the Cumberlands.