HOUGHTON, NY – The Houghton Highlanders opened the day with a strong victory over Hartwick College, but walked away with a split in their first Empire 8 tri-match of the year after losing to St. John Fisher in a closely contested nightcap.
Game #1 Recap:
After taking the first set in commanding fashion, the Highlanders found themselves in a dogfight late in the second. Tied, 22-22,
Amber Edwards slammed home a kill and
Haley Unverdorben followed with a dump kill to force game point.
The Hawks picked up two quick points before a
Jenna Bittinger kill once again forced game point. Again the Hawks picked up another point to tie the game. Edwards put away another kill to force a third game point before a Hartwick attack error gave Houghton the game and a 2-0 lead.
Hartwick stormed back to win the third set before Houghton found their feet, staving off a late Hawk rally to win the set, 25-20.
Game #2 Recap:
St. John Fisher picked up where they left off after defeating Hartwick, by winning the first set against the Highlanders without complication.
The second set, however, would prove a much tougher task. With the Cardinals ahead, 18-11, a Houghton timeout led to the Highlanders grabbing nine of the next 11 points, knotting the game at 20-20.
The teams traded points before Fisher jumped ahead, 23-22, before
Jenna Bittinger came up with a big kill to retie the game. That, however, would be as close as Houghton would come in the game, as Fisher picked up the next two points to go up, 2-0.
The Highlanders again battled back in the third set after trailing, 18-13, but Fisher gained match point after a kill by Izzy Smith. Trailing 24-21, Houghton reeled off four straight points, capped by a
Brooke Lewandowski kill, to go up 25-24.
After a timeout, the Cardinals picked up their game, pounding out three straight kills to win the set and the match.
GAME VITALS
Game #1:
Score: Houghton – 3 | Hartwick – 1
Records: Houghton: 3-9 (2-0 Empire 8) | Hartwick: 6-6 (1-1 Empire 8)
Scores: 25-16, 27-25, 14-25, 25-20
Venue: The Nielsen Center, Houghton College | Attendance: 107
Game #2:
Score: Houghton – 0 | St. John Fisher – 3
Records: Houghton: 3-10 (2-1 Empire 8) | St. John Fisher: 7-6 (2-0 Empire 8)
Scores: 11-25, 23-25, 25-27
Venue: The Nielsen Center, Houghton College | Attendance: 78
NOTABLE STATS
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Amber Edwards posted a career-high 18 kills against Hartwick, and followed with 10 more against Fisher. She has tallied double-digit kills in nine of the Highlanders 13 matches this season.
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Morgan Potempa collected 29 digs on the day, including 22 against Hartwick.
COACH'S CORNER
"We played a very good match against Hartwick. We picked up a very important win in that second set. If we didn't get that one it would have been an entirely different match.
"Fisher played a smarter game than we did today. [Alea] Steigerwald made all the difference for them. She can hit, she can defend; she make smart plays all over the court.
"We battled throughout, but didn't make some of the plays we needed to.
"We'll focus on Alfred for Wednesday because that's another big match for us." –Head Coach
Nancy Cole
UP NEXT
The Highlanders continue conference play at Alfred University on Wednesday when they square off with the cross-county rival Saxons at 7:00 p.m.