The Houghton Highlanders returned to action Tuesday night after spring break, hosting SUNY Poly in a non-conference matchup at the Nielsen Center. Houghton came out strong early and remained competitive throughout the match, pushing the Wildcats in each set before SUNY Poly ultimately secured the straight-set victory.
Despite the loss, the Highlanders showed solid defensive effort and stayed within striking distance in all three sets against a SUNY Poly squad that entered the match with 15 wins on the season.
The Essentials
Final Score: SUNY Poly 3, Houghton 0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-23)
Team Records:
Houghton 4-14, 3-2 AMCC
SUNY Poly 15-9, 2-1 Empire 8
Location: Houghton, NY | Nielsen Center
Attendance: 94
Key Moments
Fast Start for the Highlanders
Houghton opened the first set with momentum, jumping out to a 5-1 lead behind early blocks from
Jared Wright and a kill from
Jonah Sissel. SUNY Poly responded with a scoring run to regain control and eventually edged out the set 25-22.
Wildcats Edge Second Set
The Highlanders battled throughout the second set, trading points with the Wildcats for much of the frame. SUNY Poly capitalized on a late run to close the set 25-21 and take a two-set advantage.
Late Push in the Third
Houghton again kept the final set tight, with kills from
Jonah Sissel and
Josh Thiesen helping the Highlanders stay within reach. SUNY Poly held off the late push to close out the match with a 25-23 victory.
Key Highlander Stats
Team Stats
- 17 Kills
- 17 Assists
- 4 Aces
- 15 Blocks
- 36 Digs
- -.021 Hitting Percentage
Individual Leaders
Looking Ahead
The Highlanders will now shift their focus to a busy upcoming weekend of competition. Houghton will travel to
Oneonta, NY on March 14 for a neutral-site matchup against Elmira
College at 1:00pm before facing host
Hartwick College at 3:00pm.
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