HOUGHTON, N.Y. – After dropping the first two games to a very good SUNY Brockport team, the Highlanders battled throughout the next two sets, taking the third before eventually falling in a close fourth set.
Game Vitals
Score: Houghton – 1 | Brockport – 3 (13-25, 13-25, 25-21, 23-25)
Records: Houghton: 6-6 (2-1 Empire 8) | Brockport: 16-2 (3-0 SUNYAC)
Venue: Nielsen Center, Houghton College | Attendance: 112
Key Moments
>> Down 17-16 in the third set, the Highlanders rattled off five of the next seven points to take a 21-19 lead. After the Golden Eagles drew to within one, 22-21, Houghton capitalized on a Brockport error, an ace by
Katherine Witte and a kill by
Naomi Prentice to take the win.
>> In the fourth set, Brockport took the opening four points and led by an 11-4 margin before Houghton picked up four straight points and began to close the gap. The Highlanders battled all the way back, eventually taking the lead, 22-21, after four consecutive Golden Eagle errors, but Brockport pounded out four kills over the next five points to win the final set and the match.
Key Stats
>> After converting on less than five percent of their attacks in the first two sets, Houghton showed dramatic improvement in sets three and four, converting on 15 and 27 percent, respectively. The Golden Eagles also collected 53 kills, while the Highlanders managed only 28.
>>
Naomi Prentice picked up 12 kills and five blocks for the Highlanders, while teammate
Rebekah White posted 18 digs.
Coach's Corner
"We continue to improve. With a young team our goal is to get better, and we definitely are. I was really pleased with our fight in the last two sets, and that came primarily from the team.
"I told the girls, 'We played a good team, and this is how you get better.' I believe this should definitely help prepare us for our remaining games against some of the tougher competition in our conference."
Next Time Out
Houghton continues their non-conference stretch, hosting the D'Youville College Spartans at the Nielsen Center on Friday, September 30 at 7:00pm.
