Hawks Fall On The Road To Belhaven

JACKSON, Miss.- Looking to to build off of their win against Wesleyan College, Huntingdon volleyball(7-15 overall, 3-3 CCS) fell in a road contest to the Blazers of Belhaven University(8-8 overall, 6-1 CCS) 3 sets to 1.

How it happened

To get the match underway, the Hawks dropped the opening set 25-18. Belhaven hit on all cylinders early, recording 14 kills while only committing 5 errors en route to a 1-0 lead. Huntingdon battled early, capitalizing on kills from Izzy Valldeperas and Ashlen Janowski to hold a 13-11 lead, but a late 6-1 run from the Blazers gave Belhaven a 24-18 lead, putting the Hawks away.

Still looking for a spark, the second set also belonged to Belhaven by a score of 25-22. Early on, the two teams found themselves in a tight contest, with a kill from Morgan Suggs evening the score at 12. Following an error from the Blazers, the Hawks found themselves holding on to a slight 20-19 lead, but a 6-2 Belhaven gave the Blazers the set and a 2-0 lead.

Huntingdon hit their stride in the third set, running away with a 25-11 victory. Led by Lindsey Holland, Aly Harris, and Izzy Valldeperas, the Hawks claimed a commanding 12-0 lead, with the trio accounting for 7 of the team's total points. Facing a 23-6 deficit, the Blazers tried to battle back, going on a 4-0 run to bring the score to 23-10, but a kill from Lily VanDyke put a stamp on a crucial set victory for the Hawks.

To close the match, the Blazers pulled out a 27-25 fourth set victory. Huntingdon found an early lead, with a kill from Aly Harris putting the Hawks ahead 7-3, with the lead growing to as much as 18-13, but a 5-0 Blazer run evened the score late in the set. Facing a 23-21 deficit, Izzy Valldeperas gave Huntingdon new life with back-to-back kills to tie the game, but Belhaven made the most of their opportunities, outscoring the Hawks 4-2 in the last stages to walk away with a victory.

Hawk Top Performers

• #21 Izzy Valldeperas- 11 kills. 4 digs
• #12 Ashlen Janowski- 9 kills, 3 digs
• #28 Morgan Suggs- 9 kills, 14 digs

The Hawks look to bounce back on October 12th, traveling to Kentucky for a tri-match with Asbury and Piedmont. Games are scheduled for 12:00 and 2:00 PM CT.