(24-26, 18-25, 18-25)
HOBOKEN, N.J.— Today marks a milestone for the Highlander Volleyball program, competing in their first-ever Empire 8 Conference Tournament. As the fourth seed, Houghton faced first seed Stevens Institute of Technology. The Highlanders played hard and fought a good fight, however, they lost in 3 sets to the Ducks: 24-26, 18-25, 18-25.

In the first set of the match, there was minimal room for error by either team. The Ducks and Highlanders competed neck and neck, forcing one team to win by 2. Houghton and Stevens found themselves tied 9 different times in the set. Up 24-23, Houghton was unable to execute the game winning point. Instead, 3 consecutive Stevens' points confirmed the win. While the set was not in favor of Houghton, they stayed on Stevens' heels the entire set.

The start of the second set was a tough start for the Highlanders, down 4-0. Although the Highlanders took a 13-12 lead, the Ducks scored 4 consecutive points followed by another 5 point rally. At the conclusion of the second set, the Highlanders found themselves in a 7-point deficit.

Although Houghton was leading 12-9 in the third set, Stevens had a 6-point rally. The Ducks confirmed the third set win, taking the match.

Hattie Burgher (Selkirk, NY, Loudonville Christian) led the way offensively with 14 kills, followed by Hannah Compeau (Oxford, MI, Faith Christian) with 9 kills of her own.  Defensively, Laurel Wroblicky (Irvine, CA, Northwood) had an impressive 18 digs, followed by Burgher and Alyssa Quimby (Northglenn, CO, Community Christian) with 9 digs each. Setter Anna Coryell (Phelps, NY, Midlakes) was credit with 34 assists in the match.

While the regular season and Empire 8 post-season conference tournament are complete, the Highlanders look forward to their participation in the NCCAA Regional Tournament. The dates, times, and location of the tournament are to be determined.