HOUGHTON, N.Y. – On a day when the Highlanders honored Sydney Pow, their lone senior, the young team fought hard through a close three-set loss to Cortland State, then battled back from a pair of deficits to win an equally close three-set match against Marywood University.
 
Houghton finished with splits on both days of their home tournament, closing their season with a win in their final match and .500 winning percentage for the year.
 
The Highlanders honored Pow, a native of Port Dover, Ontario, Canada, by hanging Canadian banners throughout the Nielsen Center and accenting their uniforms with Canadian red.
 
Pow, who played in more matches during her senior campaign than the prior three combined, collected 10 kills and three blocks on the day, raising her season totals to 89 kills and 47 blocks.  Her block total was good for second on the team this season.
 
At the conclusion of the tournament, Naomi Prentice and Anna Coryell received all-tournament honors for the Highlanders.
 
Match #1: After jumping out to an early 6-1 lead, the Highlanders fell prey to a pair of Red Dragon runs mid-way through the first set.  Facing set-point, 20-24, back-to-back kills by Ally Bittinger and an attack error brought Houghton within one, but a service error gave the Red Dragons game one.
 
In the second set, the Highlander fought back from another early deficit, falling behind by an 11-3 margin and later, 19-9.  Despite another comeback, the early deficit proved too much to overcome.
 
As has become their trademark, the Highlanders never quit, even down 2-0.  Trailing 22-16, Houghton reeled off four straight points before Cortland took advantage of two Houghton errors and a kill to end the match.
 
Match #2: With their .500 season on the line, Houghton dug a hole in the first set and trailed 21-11 late.  But the Highlander proceeded to win 14 of the next 16 points to take the first set in in dramatic fashion.
 
Houghton took the second set with far less fanfare.  After giving up the first point of the match to the Pacers, they never trailed again in the set, building their 2-0 lead.
 
Marywood, however, would refuse to concede the match.
 
After Houghton jumped out to an early 10-3 lead, the Pacers slowly battled back, eventually tying the game at 20… then again at 22, and again at 23.  A ball handling error gave Houghton match-point, and Prentice nailed a Coryell set to the ground for the final point.
 
Match Vitals
Match #1: Houghton – 0 | Cortland – 3 (23-25, 20-25, 20-25)
Match #2: Houghton – 3 | Marywood – 0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-23)
Records: Houghton:  14-14 | Cortland: 20-14 | Marywood: 17-18
Venue: The Nielsen Center, Houghton College
 
Key Stats
>> Prentice finished with 19 kills, including 15 against Marywood, and three blocks
>> Coryell posted nine kills, 49 assists and 25 digs.
>> Pow collected 10 kills and three blocks.

Coach's Corner
"I'm really proud of the progress our team made throughout the season.  We were very young and today we showed that we can play consistently, even when down. 
 
"It was a great day for [Sydney Pow], too.  She went from playing very little during her first three years to being an important part of our attack and one of our primary blockers.  It was a great way for her to finish out her career." –Coach Nancy Cole