The Foresters captured their fourth five-set thriller of the season by running over their visitors in the final two sets for a 3-2
10-2-2019
Huntington University
Huntington In.
Hat Tip HU Website
HUNTINGTON, Ind. – The Huntington volleyball team snapped a two-game skid with a gutsy performance Wednesday night against the visiting Maple Leafs (6-16, 1-9) of Goshen College. After storming out to a first set win, things took a deep plunge for Herber and company for the next two sets which made their comeback even more impressive.
The Foresters captured their fourth five-set thriller of the season by running over their visitors in the final two sets for a 3-2 W, 25-12, 20-25, 20-25, 25-13, 15-10. The victory is Huntington's third straight over Goshen – all of which have been five-setters.
Ariene Butler anchored a backline that collected 113 digs on the night, the most by a Forester team since 2009. The junior libero tracked down 36 while four other Foresters logged double digits digs which included Nicole Flickinger (21), Paige Eakright (18), Jennings Tacosik (14) and Laura Nagle (12).
"I told my girls after the match that one word came to mind when I reflected on how we played sets four and five," said Coach Herber. "Monsters. Defensively, Goshen couldn't find an open spot on the floor. We had over 100 digs tonight with Ariene having 36 of them. That's unheard of."
Offensively, HU tallied a season-best 60 kills behind their main go to in Eakright who put down 19. Brandy Michie was a huge spark in the final two sets during which she recorded ten of her 12 kills. Ty Bynum was active in the middle on both sides of the net to finish with nine kills and three blocks.
Engineering the Forester attack was Tacosik who not only handed out 45 assists but was also an offensive weapon by registering seven kills on just nine swings.
"Jennings had some of the best decision-making tonight that I've ever seen from her," noted Herber. "She did an outstanding job running our offense. Our attackers were monsters at the net.
"They did a great job reading the block and taking aggressive swings."
The Foresters (10-10, 4-6) take a break from conference play to host Manchester at 4:00 p.m. on Friday as part of HU's Homecoming festivities.
The Huntington University Foresters compete in 17 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 42 NAIA All-America honors and 316 All-America Scholar Athlete honors. Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. U.S. News & World Report ranks Huntington among the best colleges in the Midwest.
