Hawks Takes Down LaGrange In CCS Opener

MONTGOMERY,Ala.- In their first CCS match of the season, Huntingdon volleyball(4-12 overall, 1-0 CCS) defeated the Panthers of LaGrange College(3-9 overall, 0-2 CCS) in five sets.

How it happened

To open the game, Huntingdon claimed the first set 25-13. LaGrange earned the first point of the game, but the Hawks answered with three consecutive points to take a 3-1 lead that they would hold throughout the duration of the set. Led by Izzy Valldeperas, the Hawks amassed 11 kills, including a final kill from Lily VanDyke, on the set while limiting LaGrange to 4 to cruise to the opening set victory.

Battling back, LaGrange took the second set 25-15. The Panthers opened the set with a 6-1 run and utilized that momentum to even the score at 1 in the match. The Hawks tried to respond, bringing the score as near as 12-8 following a kill from Aly Harris, but a final surge from the Panthers was enough to subdue the Hawks.

Capitalizing on their second set momentum, LaGrange claimed the third set also, this time by a score of 25-21. With Izzy Valldeperas still leading the way alongside Morgan Suggs, the Hawks got out to an early 6-3 lead, but the Panthers put together a 4-1 run to even the score at 7. The two teams would trade points over the next serves, but the Panthers were able to take advantage of several Hawk errors to reach a 15-12 lead and claim the set.

Not done yet, the Hawks took the fourth set 25-17 to stay alive. Huntingdon's attack found new life, recording a match-high 16 kills, to fuel their late push for victory. Facing a 13-9 deficit midway through the set, the Hawks strung together 4 consecutive kills from Lindsey Holland, Izzy Valldeperas, and Lily VanDyke to even the score and eventually claim the lead, 15-14 following an error from the Panthers. To ice the set, Aly Harris and Ashlen Janowski each got kills of their own in the final three points, forcing a fifth set.

Huntingdon managed to walk away victorious following the highly contested fifth set 15-13 to claim victory. The set began with the Panthers taking an early 7-4 lead, but a LaGrange error combined with an ace from Ashlen Janowski brought the score to 8-7 when the teams flipped sides. After swapping sides of the court, Izzy Valldeperas and Aly Harris came to life, earning four of Huntingdon's final 8 points to secure the conference-opening victory for the Hawks.

Hawk Top Performers

• #21 Izzy Valldeperas- 18 kills, 7 digs
• #12 Ashlen Janowski- 10 kills, 8 digs
• #9 Aly Harris- 11 kills, 8 digs

The Hawks look to carry their momentum into their matchup against the Berea Mountaineers on September 27th at Covenant College. Gametime is scheduled for 4:00 PM CT.