ROCHESTER, NY – While the product on the court continues to improve, the Houghton Highlanders dropped to 0-5 on the season, losing a pair of matches to Geneva College and Roberts Wesleyan University on Thursday, both in straight sets.
 
GAME VITALS
Game #1:
Match Score: Houghton – 0 |  Geneva – 3
Records: Houghton: 0-4  | Geneva: 3-4
Set Scores: 22-25, 14-25, 18-25
Venue: Voller Athletic Center, Roberts Wesleyan University | Attendance: N/A
 
Despite their defensive efforts, which successfully limited Geneva to a mere .098 hitting efficiency, Houghton struggled to find their offensive rhythm throughout the match.
 
In the first set, both teams exchanged points evenly until midway through, when a series of critical hitting errors allowed Geneva to pull ahead for a 17-10 lead. Houghton battling back to close the gap, but eventually fell short, 22-25.
 
Riding the momentum from that initial victory, the Golden Tornados won the next two sets, ultimately securing a 3-0 win over the Highlanders.
 
Game #2:
Match Score: Houghton – 0  |  Roberts Wesleyan – 3
Records: Houghton: 0-5  | Roberts Wesleyan: 4-4
Set Scores: 20-25, 20-25, 13-25
Venue: Voller Athletic Center, Roberts Wesleyan University| Attendance: 204
 
The Highlanders delivered their strongest offensive performance of the season, pounding out 18 combined kills and only six errors on 48 attacks for a hitting percentage of .250.
 
While the offensive effort saw a marked improvement, reception errors affected Houghton's play, leading to a close contest in sets one and two, but ultimately, the Highlanders fell to the DII host Redhawks, 3-0.

NOTABLE STATS
>> Elijah Sproull had a well-rounded match tallying six kills, one ace, six assists and five digs.
 
>> Devin Burns added five kills, while Jared Wright compiled three blocks, Jerry Buno tallied eight assists
 
COACH'S CORNER
"In our first match against Geneva, our inconsistent play caused the match to get away from us. Going into our second match, we played well from start to finish and posted our best hitting percentage of the year." –Head Coach David Bourne
 
UP NEXT
Having just completed three matches over the course of two days, the Highlanders will have an eight-day break to prepare for their next games against Mount Union and Hobart on February 8th.