Hawks Drop Matches To Sewanee And Oglethorpe

MONTGOMERY,Ala.- In their home quad-match featuring Maryville, Oglethorpe, and Sewanee, Huntingdon volleyball(3-12 overall) fell in the first match of the day to the Tigers of Sewanee(3-4 overall), and the last to the Stormy Petrels of Oglethorpe(7-6 overall).

Game one: Sewanee- 3, Huntingdon-2

The opening set of the day belonged to the Tigers, as they defeated Huntingdon 25-14. In the early stages of the set, the two teams found themselves deadlocked, with the scoring 4-4. Sewanee opened up a 8-0 run to distance themselves with a 12-4 lead that they would hold on throughout the rest of the set. Huntingdon tried answering, with Izzy Valldeperas, Morgan Suggs, and Jessi Hilyer all providing steady contributions throughout, but the Tiger lead would be too much to overcome, putting Huntingdon behind 1-0.

Battling back, Huntingdon claimed the second set 25-18. Similar to the opening set, the two teams were even early, with the score being tied 9-9. A kill from Izzy Valldeperas sparked a 5-2 Huntingdon run, with points coming from Ashlen Janowski and Morgan Suggs, to give the Hawks a 15-11 lead. Sewanee tried to mount a comeback, cutting the lead to 15-13, but a late Huntingdon surge led by Lindsey Holland put the Hawks over the hump and evened the match at 1-1.

Building off their second set momentum, the Hawks also claimed the third set 25-17. In contrast to the first two sets, Sewanee jumped out to an early lead 4-2. A kill from Aly Harris brought Huntingdon's offense to life, sparking a run to put the Hawks ahead 6-5. Multiple kills from Ashlen Janowski, Morgan Suggs, and Lily VanDyke extended Huntingdon's lead to 16-10, with a late 5-1 push giving the Hawks the set victory and a 2-1 advantage.

Not to be outdone, Sewanee defeated Huntingdon 25-16 to force a fifth set. Leading throughout the entirety of the set, the Tigers were able to capitalize on 7 Huntingdon errors, a match high, to take the fourth set.

In the fifth and final set, the Tigers walked away victorious by a score of 15-12. Huntingdon led 7-4 at the beginning, but Sewanee fought back to tie the game at 8  before the teams changed sides. Another kill from Izzy Valldeperas put the Hawks ahead 11-10, but a 4-1 run from Sewanee put the Hawks away.

Hawk Top Performers

• #28 Morgan Suggs- 11 kills, 17 digs
• #21 Izzy Valldeperas- 11 kills, 2 digs
• #12 Ashlen Janowski- 10 kills, 7 digs

Game two: Oglethorpe- 3, Huntingdon-1

Huntingdon's second game of the day started off slow, with the Stormy Petrels of Oglethorpe claiming the first set 25-21. Oglethorpe got out of the gates fast, holding a 10-4 lead. Lindsey Holland and Izzy Valldeperas tried to spearhead a Huntingdon comeback, but ultimately the early lead would be too much, putting the Hawks behind 1-0.

Still going strong, the Stormy Petrels claimed the second set as well, this time by a score of 25-16. While the Hawks only committed 1 error in this set, their 7 kills compared to Oglethorpe's 11 did not create enough firepower for Huntingdon's offense, putting the Hawks behind 2-0.

Not dismayed, the Hawks responded by taking the third set 25-23. The start of the set was even, as the two teams found themselves locked into a 10-10 tie. The Stormy Petrels would score the next two points to claim a 12-10 lead, but a kill from Morgan Suggs that followed two Oglethorpe errors gave Huntingdon a 13-12 lead. Still trading points, the two teams found themselves even at 21. In crunch time, Huntingdon's front line came to life, with kills from Morgan Suggs and Ashlen Janowski giving Huntingdon a lead that Lily VanDyke made the most of, earning a kill to close the set and cut Huntingdon's deficit to 2-1.

To close the match, Oglethorpe claimed the fourth set 25-16. Huntingdon fell behind early, and Oglethorpe never relented, earning 10 kills while forcing 7 Huntingdon errors to take the 3-1 victory.

Hawk Top Performers

• #12 Ashlen Janowski- 7 kills, 10 digs
• #28 Morgan Suggs- 9 kills, 7 digs

The Hawks look to bounce back on Wednesday, September 25th, hosting the LaGrange Panthers to open CCS play. Gametime is scheduled for 7:00 PM CT.