HOUGHTON, NY – After a convincing first set win, the Nazareth Golden Flyers hung on to defeat a scrappy Houghton Highlanders team who pushed to the very end of a three-set match.
 
With the score tied, 19-19, in the second set, the Golden Flyers won four of the next five points, taking a 23-20 lead.  A kill by Emma Cole and an ace from Ella Smith pulled Houghton within a point, a service error and a kill from Tessa Grover finished the set.
 
The Highlanders jumped out to a commanding 14-7 lead in the third, but a Houghton service error, six straight attack errors and a Golden Flyers kill, put Nazareth in the lead, 15-14.
 
The teams traded points down the stretch but the Golden Flyers hung on the pull out a two-point win, 25-23, in the final set.
 
GAME VITALS
Match Score: Houghton – 0 | Nazareth – 3
Records: Houghton: 5-13 (1-5 Empire 8) | Nazareth: 8-13 (4-2 Empire 8)
Set Scores: 13-25, 22-25, 23-25
Venue: The Nielsen Center, Houghton University | Attendance: 125

NOTABLE STATS
>> After slamming out 15 kills on a .545 attack percentage in the first set, Nazareth managed only five kills on a .086 attack percentage in the third.  Houghton, logged only seven kills in the first set, and 17 in the third, but 12 attack errors in the final set ultimately doomed the Highlanders.
 
>> The Golden Flyers maintained a 10-2 advantage in blocks.
 
>> Ainslie Reimer picked up her seventh double-double of the season, collecting 13 kills and 16 digs, both team-bests.
 
>> Ella Smith collected 15 digs, while Logan Baer dished out a game-high 26 assists for the Highlanders.
 
UP NEXT
The Highlanders return to the Nielsen Center next weekend, when they will host the Russell Sage Gators on Friday, October 27 at 7:00 p.m. and the Hartwick Hawks on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.