Hawks Volleyball Splits Five-Set Matches With Asbury And Piedmont On Senior Day

MONTGOMERY, Ala.- Wrapping up regular season CCS play with a tri-match at home, Huntingdon volleyball(13-19 overall, 9-7 CCS) fell to the Asbury Eagles(19-6 overall, 14-1 CCS) before defeating the Lions of Piedmont University(6-18 overall, 6-10 CCS) each in five sets.

Prior to the start of the match against Piedmont, Huntingdon honored their 2025 senior class for their commitments to the program both on and off the court. This year's senior class is Jessi Hilyer, Lydia Hitchcock, Ashlen Janowski, Kenry Malone, Izzy Valldeperas, Eva Ellenburg, and Jenna Crow.

Match one vs Asbury

The Hawks opened up the day with a resounding 25-13 set victory over the Eagles. Down 6-4 early, an Izzy Valldeperas kill sparked a 7-0 run that put Huntingdon ahead 11-6. Once in control, the Hawks never lost their lead, utilizing an efficient offensive attack that featured 9 kills and just one error to take a 1-0 advantage. The Eagles would not be out done however, claiming the second set 25-23. The two teams traded points throughout the majority of the set before Morgan Suggs spiked one over the net to kick off a 7-0 run to put the Hawks ahead 19-15. Taking advantage of nine late kills, Asbury outscored Huntingdon 10-4 in the final stages to even the set count at 1.

Huntingdon continued to battle, claiming the third set 25-18. Although the Eagles recorded 16 kills compared to the Hawks' 8, Huntingdon claimed an early 6-2 lead courtesy of kills from Aly Harris, and Ashlen Janowski. Asbury fought back to claim a 15-13 lead, but another 7-0 run from Huntingdon headlined by two kills from Eva Ellenburg put the Hawks ahead 23-18 before an Asbury error handed the set to Huntingdon. 

With their backs against the wall, Asbury stormed back to take the fourth set 25-13. Making the most of their 14 kills by only committing two errors, the Eagles never lost control of the lead after scoring the first seven points of the set.

In a fina do-or-die set, Asbury walked away victorious with a 15-12 win. Of their 15 points in the set, nine of them came by the way of kills, allowing the Eagles to close the match with a 5-0 run.

Hawk Top Performers

• #22 Eva Ellenburg- 8 kills, 17 digs
• #3 Jessi Hilyer- 22 assists, 9 digs
• #21 Izzy Valldeperas- 10 kills, 6 digs

Match two vs Piedmont

The Lions came out in the second match swinging, claiming the opening set 25-14. Piedmont recorded a match-high 15 kills while limiting Huntingdon to just 7 to go ahead 1-0. Nonetheless, Huntingdon responded with a 25-22 second set victory. The Lions kicked off the set with a 4-2 run, but Aly Harris led Huntingdon on a seven point swing of their own to give Huntingdon the lead 9-5. Piedmont battled back to take a 18-17 lead, but Valldeperas and Suggs pushed Huntingdon over the hump to even the set count at 1.

The Hawks managed to carry their momentum into the third set, walking away with a 25-20 set win. The two teams traded points early, but a seven point swing featuring three kills from Eva Ellenburg gave Huntingdon a 13-7 lead they would hold throughout the rest of the set, with Izzy Valldeperas sending one over the net to give the Hawks a 2-1 advantage.

Piedmont refused to back down with their back against the wall in the fourth set, forcing a fifth set with a 26-24 win. Making the most of their 14 kills, the Lions pulled away from a 18-18 tie, taking advantage of Huntingdon's four errors in the later stages to even the set count at two.

Leaving one set to determine the outcome of the match, the Hawks took the fifth set victory 15-6. Taking advantage of 7 Piedmont errors while commiting only 1 of their own, Huntingdon held an 8-1 lead as the two teams traded sides. Izzy Valldeperas put a stamp on Huntingdon's crucial victory, spiking one over the net to finalize the match.

Hawk Top Performers

• #21 Izzy Valldeperas- 14 kills, 3 digs
• #12 Ashlen Janowski- 10 kills, 5 digs, 4 aces
• #3 Jessi Hilyer- 17 assists, 10 digs, 1 kill

The Hawks conclude their regular season at home on Friday, November 8th with a match against Tuskegee. The opening serve is set for 4:00 PM CT.