HOUGHTON, NY – The Houghton Highlanders women's volleyball team closed out the 2021 season inches shy of avenging an early-season loss to the Buffalo State Bengals in front of the home crowd at the Nielsen Center.  The Highlanders and Bengals went the distance, with the final two sets coming down to the wire, before the Bengals eventually prevailed, 3-2.
 
Houghton took a two-games-to-one advantage into the fourth set, and looked primed to finish off the match after a commanding 25-16 victory in the third set.  The Bengals on the other hand, had other ideas.
 
Buffalo State steadily built their lead throughout the set, and looked primed to force a fifth set.  With the Highlanders trailing, 20-11, Houghton reeled off six straight points to draw within three.  After the Bengals scored a pair, Houghton went on another run, this time winning five straight points, capped by back-to-back kills by the freshmen duo of Julie Immel and Ella Smith to tie the set, 22-22.
 
The two teams dramatically seesawed over the next several minutes as the Bengals forced set point three times before finally putting the set away on a Houghton attack error.
 
The fifth set brought only more drama.  Houghton grabbed an early but slim lead, but the Bengals clawed back, eventually winning five-of-six points to pull ahead, 12-9.
 
Once again, the seesaw battle ensued, as the teams traded point-for-point.  After the Bengals forced set point, another Allison Morgan kill pulled the Highlanders within two, 14-12, and gave Houghton the serve.  But on the final play, the Houghton attack ran into a Bengal double-block, capping an exhilarating match and the Highlanders' season.
 
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 2 | Buffalo State – 3
Records: Houghton: 7-11 | Buffalo State: 10-11
Scores: (25-18, 17-25, 25-16, 25-27, 12-15)
Venue: The Nielsen Center, Houghton College | Attendance: 175

NOTABLE STATS
>> The Highlanders established new season-highs in kills (57), assists (51), and digs (76).
 
>> Haley Unverdorben finished the match with a season-high 46 assists, giving her 2,177 for her career… one shy of fourth place on the Highlander career leader board (stats verifiable 1995-present).
 
>> Immel finished with a new-career-best 21 kills (.395 attack percentage) and matched her career-high with 16 digs.  The double-double was her fifth of the season.  She led the Highlanders with 197 kills this season.
 
>> Allison Morgan also established a new career high with 18 kills, while committing only two attack errors (.485 attack percentage).  She finished the season with 101 kills.
 
>> Rebekah Clark led the Highlanders with a new-career-best 26 digs.  The junior libero led the team's defense this season with 207 total digs.