The Houghton Highlanders wrapped up a grueling three-match road stretch over the weekend with battles at SUNY Polytechnic Institute, Bard College, and SUNY Potsdam. Facing a varied slate of competition, the Highlanders showed resilience and occasional offensive bursts—particularly in their five-set contest with Bard—though they ultimately came up short in all three matches.
THE ESSENTIALS
- vs. SUNY Poly (Feb. 6, 2026) — L 1-3 (27-25, 15-25, 12-25, 14-25); Houghton 1-7 (0-1 AMCC), SUNY Poly 7-6 (0-0 NEVC); Wildcat Field House – Utica, NY; Attendance:
56
- vs. Bard College (Feb. 7, 2026) — L 2-3 (15-25, 17-25, 25-19, 25-23, 10-15); Houghton 1-8 (0-1 AMCC), Bard 4-7 (0-1 NECV); Maxcy Hall Field House – Potsdam, NY; Attendance: 17
- vs. SUNY Potsdam (Feb. 7, 2026) — L 0-3 (15-25, 6-25, 22-25); Houghton 1-9 (0-1 AMCC), SUNY Potsdam 3-1 (1-0 NEVC); Maxcy Hall Field House – Potsdam, NY; Attendance: 36
KEY MOMENTS
- SUNY Poly: Houghton opened the weekend with a strong start, edging SUNY Poly 27-25 in the opening set before the hosts responded to take the final three sets. Earlier in the season, SUNY Poly complete the 3-0 match sweep, so picking up the first set win was an improvement from the earlier competition.
- Bard College: The Highlanders showed grit after falling behind two sets, storming back to win sets three and four and force a deciding fifth set before Bard narrowly closed out the match.
- SUNY Potsdam: Houghton battled through three sets against Potsdam, staying competitive late in the match and pushing the Bears in the third set before Potsdam secured the sweep.
KEY HIGHLANDER STATS
- Team Weekend Totals: 51 Kills, 11 Aces, 9 Blocks, 72 Digs
- Jonah Sissel: 18 Kills, 12 Digs (led the team in kills across all three matches)
- Devin Cline: 13 Kills, 15 Digs, 2 Aces
- Michael McGlynn: 9 Kills, 2 Blocks, 1 Ace
- Jerry Buno: 41 Assists, 11 Digs (orchestrated the offense throughout the trip)
- Jared Wright: 5 Solo Blocks, 3 Assisted Blocks (anchored the net defense)
- Caleb Stephens: 4 Aces, 6 Kills, 8 Digs
LOOKING AHEAD
The Highlanders return to the Nielsen Center this Tuesday, February 10th, for a critical AMCC conference matchup against the Buffalo State Bengals. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 PM.
