BALTIMORE, MD – The Highlanders looked to bounce back after a tough match against Virginia Wesleyan on Friday night as they returned to the court Saturday against host Hood College and Cairn University. Still searching for their first win of the season, the Highlanders stayed poised and competed well against Hood College, earning a 3-1 victory.
 
That win provided a boost of confidence heading in to the second match of the day, where the Highlanders jumped out to an early 2-0 set lead against Cairn University. However, Cairn responded with a strong rally, completing a reverse sweep to claim the five-set victory.   
 
GAME VITALS
Game #1:
Score: Houghton – 3 | Hood – 1
Records: Houghton: 1-4-, 0-0 AMCC | Hood: 1-4, 0-0 MAC
Scores: 25-18, 27-25, 25-16, 25-18
Venue: Woodsboro Bank Arena| Attendance: 53
 
Recap:
Coming off a tough match against Virginia Wesleyan, Houghton turned its focus to a key matchup against Hood. The Highlanders delivered a dominant performance on all sides of the ball to earn a 3-1 victory.
 
Offensively, Houghton was led by Jerry Buno, Jonah Sissel, Devin Cline and Josh Thiesen. As a team, the Highlanders recorded 47 kills while hitting an efficient .266. On the defensive end, they stifled Hood's attach with 10 total blocks and added 47 digs. The biggest difference in the match came from the service line, where the Highlanders posted a season-high 15 aces, more than doubling Hood's total of seven.
 
Houghton came out strong in the opening set, setting the tone with a 25-18 win. However, Hood responded in set two, engaging in a back-and-forth battle that pushed the set into extra points before the Blazers edged out a 29-27 victory. Not allowing the set two loss to derail them, the Highlanders regrouped quickly and returned to what worked early on in the match, taking control of the final two sets by scores of 25-16 and 25-18 to secure their first win of the season.
 
 
Game #2:
Score: Houghton – 2 | Cairn – 3
Records: Houghton: 1-5, 0-0 AMCC | Cairn: 1-9, 0-0 United East
Scores: 25-16, 29-27, 21-25, 17-25, 10-15
Venue: Woodsboro Bank Arena| Attendance: 53
 
Recap:
After notching their first win of the season, Houghton had a short break before returning to the court against Cairn University in the battle of the Highlanders. Riding the confidence from the earlier victory, Houghton came out firing in set one, hitting an efficient .409 compared to Cairn's .150 and cruised to a 25-16 win.
 
The second set turned into a tightly contested battle, with neither team able to gain more than a slim advantage. The back-and-forth action pushed the set into extra points, and this time it was Houghton that prevailed, securing a 29-28 win to take a 2-0 match lead.
 
Up two sets to none, Houghton appeared to be in control and on the verge of a sweep, but Carin responded with urgency in a must-win third set. Finding their offensive rhythm, Cairn hit .346 while holding Houghton to just .034, earning a 25-21 set three victory.
 
With Houghton still leading 2-1, Cairn once again faced a must-win situation in set four and delivered. Strong offensive efficiency and defensive pressure proved decisive as Cairn hit .400 and limited Houghton to a .143 attack percentage, taking the set 25-17 to force a fifth.
 
With the match tied at two sets apiece, the battle reached its climax in the decisive fifth set. Cairn continued its offensive success, hitting .308, while Houghton struggled to find openings and managed just four kills in the set. Cairn University closed out the match with a 15-10 win in the fifth, securing the 3-2 victory.
 
 
NOTABLE STATS
>>Jonah Sissel notched a double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs against Hood and added another 14 kills against Cairn University
 
>> Devin Cline added a combined total of 26 kills for the day
 
>>Josh Thiesen tallied 11 kills and a .500 hitting efficiency against Hood and had a total of 4 blocks on the day
 
>>Jerry Buno led with 66 total assists for the day
 
>>Judah Kennel led the defensive effort with 13 digs against Hood
 
COACH'S CORNER
"Today's win was a good team effort. We started off strong and continued what we had been working on in practice. Getting Jonah Sissel back in the lineup gave us a boost. We will use this weekend's win and losses to continue building on what we have already accomplished this season. I am proud of how the guys competed this weekend and look forward to a good practice on Monday before our first conference match on Tuesday." - Head Coach, Mark Corbin
 
 
NEXT
Houghton will open up conference play as they travel to Erie, PA to take on Penn State Behrend on February 3 at 7:00pm.