HOUGHTON, NY – Despite an electric atmosphere in the Nielsen Center, the Houghton Highlanders dropped their home-opening match to the Hilbert Hawks, 3-0,  on Wednesday night.
 
Looking to build on momentum from last weekend's tri-match at SUNY Poly, Houghton came out strong in the opening set, securing the initial two points with a kill from Elijah Sproull and a defensive stop at the net by both Sproull and Luke Yelle.
 
As the match progressed, the two teams exchanged points, with neither gaining more than a three-point advantage. Near the midway point, the Hawks capitalized on several kills to take a 16-10 advantage. Despite a valiant effort from the Highlanders, Hilbert closed out the first set 25-18.
 
In the second set, the Houghton struggled with errors and found it difficult to handle the Hawks' tough serves, falling, 14-25.
 
Though they fell several points behind, Houghton fought hard to regain some momentum heading into the third set. As in the first set, both teams traded points initially, but Hilbert quickly opened a substantial lead at 10-4.
 
The Highlanders refused to back down, with Devin Cline contributing two crucial kills from the middle. As the score reached 19-12, an electrifying kill from Devin Burns, accompanied by two aces from Elijah Sproull, prompted a timeout from Hilbert.
 
Coming back from the break, the Hawks managed to regain control, ultimately winning the set 25-20.
 
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 0  | Hilbert – 3 
Records: Houghton: 0-3 (0-0 AMCC) | Hilbert: 3-1 (0-0 AMCC)
Scores: 18-25, 14-25, 20-25
Venue: The Nielsen Center, Houghton University | Attendance: 150
 
NOTABLE STATS
>> Devin Cline posted six kills and a hitting efficiency of .357 and led the defensive effort at the net with a total of four blocks.
 
>> Devin Burns also tallied six kills for the Highlanders and added to defensive effort in the backrow with eight digs.
 
>> Elijah Sproull collected four aces from the serving line and had eight assists.
 
>> Jerry Bruno dished out a team high 13 assists and seven digs.
 
>> Xavier Ramos led the defensive effort tallying 10 digs for the Highlanders.
 
UP NEXT
The Highlanders will look to bounce back quickly, as they gear up to face a challenging tri-match hosted by Roberts Wesleyan tomorrow (January 30^th). The men will first take on Geneva at 3:00 pm followed up with a matchup against the host team, Roberts Wesleyan, at 7:00 pm.