UTICA, N.Y. – Houghton volleyball went 1-1 in conference play Saturday at the Utica Tri-Match.
 
The Highlanders (9-7; 2-1 E8) opened the day with a loss to Ithaca, 3-1 (25-23, 18-25, 21-25, 18-25), before bouncing back with a win over Utica, 3-1 (25-14, 25-18, 17-25, 25-13).
 
"We played a strong Ithaca team and weren't able to stop them offensively," said Head Coach Nancy Cole. "We struggled to run our offense and let them string too many points together. We played a much more consistent game against Utica. Anna did a nice job moving the ball around to all our hitters and we were able to get Utica out of system with aggressive serving.

Against the Bombers, Houghton opened strong, hitting .206 in the first set to put Ithaca on their heels early, but the Bombers showed why they are 15-1 on the year and undefeated in E8 play, reeling off wins in each of the next three sets, while hitting .310, .244 and .297.
 
Hattie Burgher (Selkirk, NY, Loudonville Christian) finished with 10 kills and 14 digs, while Anna Coryell (Phelps, NY, Midlakes) chipped in with 33 assists and nine digs. Defensively, Kayla Bernard (Aubrey, TX, Cisco CC) contributed 20 digs.
 
Houghton's offense was more efficient in the match win over Utica. The Highlanders started with two strong sets, turning in 27 kills to go up 2-0. The third set saw the visitors hit just .026, but Houghton regained its composure for a decisive performance to close the match in the fourth set. The Highlanders hit .344 in that final set.
 
Burgher hit .265 with 11 kills and 19 digs against the Pioneers. Bernard finished with 23 digs, Coryell guided the offense with 42 assists, while Naomi Prentice (Linwood, NY, York Central) chipped in with 10 kills and six blocks.
 
Houghton returns to action on Wednesday, September 30 when they travel to Buffalo to take on D'Youville.