UTICA, NY – Houghton Women's Volleyball wrapped up its weekend with a doubleheader split, falling to Utica University in three sets on Friday evening before bouncing back with a sweep of SUNY Poly on Saturday afternoon. The Highlanders dropped the opening match against Utica, 25-19, 25-10, and 25-20, before responding with a dominant 25-18, 25-11, 25-13 victory over SUNY Poly. The win over the Wildcats moved Houghton to 2-2 in Empire 8 play.
Against Utica, Houghton recorded 20 kills and a -.024 hitting percentage.
Praylan Perkins and
Petra Thomas led the Highlanders with four kills apiece, while
Jessica Prentice added five kills.
Paige Brennan paced the defense with 13 digs, and Perkins contributed 11 digs.
Morgan Brace finished with 17 assists as Houghton totaled 50 digs and 10 block assists.
Houghton responded against SUNY Poly with a much stronger offensive performance, recording 42 kills and hitting .345 as a team.
Alexa Belanger led the Highlanders with 17 kills on 29 attacks for a .448 hitting percentage, while Thomas added eight kills without an error, hitting .500. Brace directed the offense with 33 assists and added three kills while hitting .750.
The Highlanders also applied pressure from the service line against SUNY Poly, recording nine service aces. Belanger contributed 11 digs to lead the team defensively, while
Paige Brennan added 10 digs. Houghton finished the match with 42 digs and 11 total blocks, including one solo block and 10 block assists. The Highlanders limited SUNY Poly to 18 kills and a -.011 hitting percentage.
GAME VITALS
Match 1 – Utica University
Match Score: Houghton – 0 | Utica – 3
Records: Houghton: 6-11 (1-2 Empire 8) | Utica: 8-11 (4-0 Empire 8)
Set Scores: 19-25, 10-25, 20-25
Venue: Clark Athletic Center, Utica, NY | Attendance: 112
Match 2 – SUNY Poly
Match Score: Houghton – 3 | SUNY Poly – 0
Records: Houghton: 7-11 (2-2 Empire 8) | SUNY Poly: 3-17 (2-3 Empire 8)
Set Scores: 25-18, 25-11, 25-13
Venue: SUNY Poly's Wildcat Field House, Utica, NY | Attendance: 91
NOTABLE STATS
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Alexa Belanger led Houghton with 20 combined kills across the two matches, including 17 against SUNY Poly while hitting .448.
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Petra Thomas recorded 12 combined kills, including eight against SUNY Poly without committing an attack error, finishing that match with a .500 hitting percentage.
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Morgan Brace totaled 50 assists across the two matches, including 33 in the sweep of SUNY Poly.
>> Houghton totaled 62 kills, 56 assists, 14 service aces, and 92 digs across the pair of games. The Highlanders hit .345 in the sweep of SUNY Poly after finishing with a -.024 hitting percentage against Utica.
UP NEXT
Houghton continues Empire 8 play with its next scheduled match at Alfred University where they will take on the hosting Saxons currently at 1-2 in conference play. The match-up will take place on Tuesday, October 13, with the opening serve set for 6:00 PM.
