HOUGHTON, NY – Alexa Belanger pounded out 14 kills, as the Houghton Highlanders wrapped up regular-season play with a three-set victory over the Nazareth Golden Flyers.
The Highlanders dominated from the opening whistle, winning the first six points of the opening set before rolling to a 25-16 win.
In the second, the Golden Flyers took an early 9-5 advantage before Houghton reeled off nine straight points behind the serving of
Gaby Gracia. The Highlanders would not relinquish the lead throughout the remainder of the set, taking a 2-0 lead on a 25-18 win.
The two teams battled in the third, trading points to the midway point. With the Highlanders leading, 14-12, an attack error and three straight service points by
Emma Cole kicked off a Houghton run in which they won 11 of the final 12 points to close out their 13
th win of the season.
GAME VITALS
Match Score: Houghton – 3 | Nazareth – 0
Records: Houghton: 13-11 (7-4 Empire 8) | Nazareth: 3-23 (3-8 Empire 8)
Set Scores: 25-16, 25-18, 25-13
Venue: The Nielsen Center, Houghton University | Attendance: 170
NOTABLE STATS
>> Belanger's 14 kills marked the 14
th time this season she has reached double-digit kills in a match.
>>
Emma Cole picked up six kills and added to her Empire 8-leading block total with five more, including three solo blocks. She now has 91 total blocks on the season, 20 more than the next-closest player in the conference.
Cole now has 214 career blocks, moving her past Lindsey Burgher (2009-12) and into eight place on the career leader board.
UP NEXT
With the win, coupled with a SUNY Geneseo win over Russell Sage, the Highlanders secured the number-five seed in the Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament. Houghton finished the regular season with the same conference record as SUNY Geneseo, but the Knights hold the tiebreaker since they defeated the Highlanders, 3-1, on October 24, and, therefore, earned the number-four seed.
Houghton will travel to SUNY Geneseo for a first-round matchup on Saturday, November 8. Match time is slated for 1:00 p.m.
