PITTSFORD, N.Y. – A remarkable season by the Houghton Highlanders women's volleyball team came to a close on St. John Fisher's Bobby Wanzer Court on Friday night, as the Highlanders fell in the semifinal round of the Empire 8 conference tournament to the Nazareth Golden Flyers, 3-1.
The Golden Flyers, playing less than two miles from their home campus, racked up 49 kills in four sets to avenge an earlier regular-season loss to the Highlanders.
Houghton built an early 13-10 lead in the first set, but Nazareth quickly rallied, pulling ahead 19-14, and eventually scoring the final five points of the set to go up 1-0.
A late rally by Houghton in the second came up short, and the Golden Flyers quickly pulled within a set of moving on to the final match.
The Highlanders, however, had other ideas. Seven straight service points by
Ally Bittinger put Houghton on top 12-7 early in the set, but Nazareth kept things close. After a Jaimee Glendening kill put the Highlanders ahead, 22-17, the Golden Flyers reeled off four straight points to pull within one. Following a Houghton timeout, the Highlanders took three of the next four points to pull within a set.
In the fourth set the two teams battled back-and-forth, until a four-point run put the Golden Flyers up, 18-12. After trading points, kills by Glendenning,
Amy Huddell and
Haley Unverdorben pulled Houghton within three points, but Nazareth quickly answered with three points of their own.
With the Golden Flyers leading 23-18, a kill by Melissa Newcomb and a Houghton attack error gave Nazareth the set and match, moving them on to the final tomorrow afternoon against host and top-seed St. John Fisher College.
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 1 | Nazareth – 3
Records: Houghton: 20-5 | Nazareth: 13-17
Scores: 25-23, 16-25, 24-26, 21-25
Venue: Bobby Wanzer Court, St. John Fisher College | Attendance: 350
NOTABLE STATS
>>
Brooke Lewandowski led the Highlanders with 10 kills and
Amy Huddell added seven kills.
>> Three Highlanders posted double-digit digs:
Ally Bittinger (17),
Jenna Bittinger (15) and Glendenning (14).
>> Newcomb collected a match-high 17 digs while setter Jessica Barry dished out 43 assists for the Golden Flyers.
>> With the completion of a 20-5 season, the Highlanders posted the highest winning percentage since 1992, when the team finished 26-6.
