HOUGHTON, N.Y. -- Houghton men's volleyball pushed Hilbert College to the brink in each set but couldn't pull out a win in a 3-0 loss to the Hawks on Tuesday in the Nielsen Center.

The Highlanders lost 25-20, 25-19, 25-22.

Houghton turned in one of its strongest attacking matches of the season, totaling 30 kills on the night and a hitting percentage of .182. The Highlanders stayed close for the majority of the first set before the Hawks used a late run to stretch their advantage to six points before closing out the five-point win. In set 2, Houghton was able to pull ahead 6-3 and were still up 9-7 before the Hawks rebounded with seven-straight points to gain control and stretched the lead to as many as seven points. The Highlanders press late to pull within four, but would get no closer.

The final set was the best statistically for the hosts as they pounded out a .318 hitting performance and rebounded from an early five-point deficit to pull ahead by two (14-12). The set would stay close throughout. With the score tied at 17, the Hawks would scored three-straight points to regain the lead and closed out the match down the stretch.

Elijah Sproull put away 14 kills while adding 13 assists and seven digs. Jerry Buno led the team with 15 assists. Devin Burns finished with five kills and eight Digs. Gabriel Lucena led the team with 11 digs and added four kills. Luke George chipped in with three kills and a team-high four blocks.

The Highlanders don't have much time to rest as they return to action hosting Wells College on Wednesday at 7 p.m.