WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

The Huntington University women’s volleyball team wrapped up play at the Onset Invitational on Saturday by splitting a pair of matches, falling to No. 17 Aquinas before rebounding with a four-set victory over Ohio Christian at the Turnstone Center. The Foresters finished the weekend with a 2-2 record and improved to 2-6 on the season with wins over Midway and Ohio Christian. 

The Foresters opened the day with a 25-23, 25-16, 25-23 setback to the Saints before earning a 15-25, 25-18, 25-18, 25-10 victory over Ohio Christian to finish the weekend with a win. 

The opening match against Aquinas was more competitive than the straight-set result indicated. Huntington dropped both the first and third sets by just two points and erased deficits in each frame before the Saints were able to close out key points late. Sophomore Maggie Hollon paced the Forester attack with 20 kills while hitting .395, accounting for half of Huntington’s offensive production. Liz Blackburn added six kills, Trevyn Terry contributed five kills and two blocks, and Kennedy Urban recorded 20 assists and 13 digs. Jadyn Samson anchored the back row with 17 digs as the Foresters pushed the nationally-ranked Saints throughout the match. 

Huntington responded in impressive fashion against Ohio Christian. After dropping the opening set, the Foresters settled in and controlled the final three sets, hitting .259 in the second, .263 in the third and .316 in the fourth while holding Ohio Christian to a .000 attacking percentage in the final frame. 

Hollon continued her torrid start to the season with 26 kills against Ohio Christian, finishing just one kill shy of matching the career-high 27 kills she recorded against IU Columbus a week earlier. The sophomore totaled 46 kills on the day while hitting .394 and led the Forester attack in both matches. 

Lexi McGee continued her strong weekend with 11 kills and a .292 hitting percentage, while Hallie Higgs added five kills and hit .400. Terry contributed four kills, three aces and two blocks, and Allie Boyer chipped in five kills. 

Urban and Ava Johnson kept the offense clicking throughout the afternoon, combining for 48 assists in the victory. Defensively, Samson collected 33 digs as Huntington finished with 78 digs as a team. 

The split capped a weekend of growth for the Foresters. Hollon’s offensive surge helped power Huntington to another victory, while the team continued to show improvement throughout the tournament. Huntington showed flashes of the level it will need to reach in order to compete in the challenging Crossroads League, but consistency remains the next step for a young squad that continues to gain valuable experience. The Foresters open conference play Wednesday at Mount Vernon Nazarene University with first serve set for 6 p.m.