HOUGHTON, NY - The Houghton Highlanders opened their 2026 home slate with a hard-fought, back and-forth battle against the visiting Hartwick Hawks, as both teams traded sets throughout the match. The contest ultimately came down to a decisive fifth set, where Hartwick was able to edge out Houghton to secure the victory.
 
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton - 2|Hartwick- 3
Records: Houghton: 0-3, 0-0 AMCC | Hartwick: 1-5, 0-0 Empire 8
Scores: 22-25, 25-19, 19-25, 23-25, 7-15
Venue: Nielsen Center | Attendance: 103
 
Recap:
Coming off a hard-fought weekend, the Houghton Highlanders returned home to host the Hartwick Hawks in their first home match of the 2026 season. The opening set began at a fast pace, highlighted by an early defensive block at the net from Josh Thiesen and Jared Wright. From there, the two teams traded points throughout the set, with neither side able to build more than a three-point lead. Late in the set, Hartwick found its offensive rhythm and closed out the frame, 25-22.
Houghton responded emphatically in the second set. After a tightly contested first half, the Highlanders began to pull away, forcing Hartwick to use multiple timeouts in the closing stages. Houghton sealed the set with a strong defensive block from Michael McGlynn and Jerry Buno, evening the match at one set apiece.
Hartwick opened the third set with a 4-0 run before a kill by Caleb Stephens put Houghton on the board. The Hawks continued to capitalize on earned points and unforced errors to build a 7-2 advantage. While the Highlanders chipped away at the deficit, Hartwick maintained control and took the set to claim a 2-1 match lead.
The fourth set followed a similar early pattern, as Hartwick came out of the break with three straight kills before an attack error gave Houghton its first point. From there, the set turned into a tightly contested battle. With Hartwick holding a 17-14 lead, Houghton called a timeout and responded by scoring three of the next four points to pull within one. The teams traded points down the stretch and were knotted at 20-20 before timely kills from Thiesen, McGlynn, and Cline propelled the Highlanders to a 25-23 win, forcing a decisive fifth set.
With the match tied at two sets apiece, Hartwick jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in the 15-point final set and never looked back. The Hawks extended their advantage to 9-3 and, despite Houghton's continued effort, closed out the match with a 15-7 victory.
Despite the loss, the Highlanders dominated defensively at the net, recording 15 total blocks and holding Hartwick to a .163 hitting percentage. Offensively, Houghton showcased balanced production and finished the match hitting .217.
 
NOTABLE STATS
>>Devin Cline notched a double-double with 22 kills and 15 digs
 
>>Jerry Buno tallied 38 assists
 
UP NEXT
 
The Highlanders have 10 days to prepared before traveling to Baltimore, MD, where they will face off against Virginia Wesleyan on Friday night at 7:00pm, followed by matches against Hood College and Cairn University on Saturday at 10:00am and 12:00pm.