Hawks Split Matches With McMurry And Centenary To Close Millsaps Invitational

JACKSON, Miss.- After kicking things off with a victory over the University of Dallas yesterday, Huntingdon Volleyball returned to action at the Millsaps Invitational today, falling to the McMurry Warhawks before sweeping the Ladies of Centenary College to close out the tournament with a 2-1 record on the weekend.

Match One v. McMurry

In their first match of the day, Huntingdon fell 3-0 to McMurry University out of Abilene, Texas. Each set proved to be highly contested however, with scores of 25-23, 25-19, and 29-27. In the opening set,McMurry found their stride early, picking up 10 kills and just 7 errors to take the 1-0 advantage. The Hawks found success on their attack as well, recording 12 kills of their own, most of which came from Morgan Suggs, Lily VanDyke, and Aly Harris. Nonetheless, the Warhawks grabbed a 5-0 lead and never looked back, maintaining control from end-to-end to put the Hawks away. 

The second set saw more of the same, with the Warhawks taking advantage of 9 Hawk errors to take the set 25-19 and move in front 2-0.  Huntingdon started off the set strong, with consecutive service aces from Lauren Mason guiding the Hawks to a 5-1 lead, but McMurry answered in a big way, capturing a lead at 14-11. The Hawks fought back to even things at 14, but another swing in favor of the Warhawks proved to be too much for Huntingdon to handle, as McMurry cemented their advantage. 

In a long-winded third set, McMurry put the match on ice with a 29-27 victory. Both teams were flying above the net, as Huntingdon recorded 14 kills to the Warhawks 15, but McMurry caught the momentum at the right time, outscoring the Hawks down the stretch to take the match, 3-0. 

Match Two v. Centenary

Dropping their first match of the day, the Hawks came out with a renewed energy in their battle with Centenary, leading from end-to-end in a 3-0 sweep. With set scores of 25-19, 25-16, and 25-18, the Hawks were able to leave Jackson on a high note. 

In the first set, neither team generated a ton of action at the net, each recording 9 kills. Trailing 14-13, Huntingdo pieced together a massive 6-1 run, capped off by a Morgan Suggs kill, to take a late 19-15 lead, which they never relinquished. 

The second set saw more of the game, with Huntingdon picking up 9 kills to Centenary's 5 en route to a 25-16 set victory. The Hawks defensive efforts proved to be the difference, limiting the Ladies to a -0.091 hitting percentage and a match-high 7 errors to secure their 2-0 advantage. With the score even at 16, Huntingdon caught fire coming down the stretch, going on a 9-0 run, capped by a Brielle Smith ace, to cement their advantage. 

To close things out in three sets, the Hawks claimed the third set 25-18 and put together their best offensive attack in doing so. Picking up 13 kills to just the 4 for Centenary, the Hawks were soaring above the net, seeing kills from 7 different players(Aly Harris, A'Kirra McElveen, Morgan Suggs, Lindsey Holland, Ayla Hart, Sara Cochran, and Lily VanDyke), as the staked never surrendered their lead throughout the duration of the set, completing the sweep. 

Hawk Top Performers

• #9 Aly Harris- 8 kills, 2 digs
• #28 Morgan Suggs- 10 kills, 6 digs

The Hawks look to keep rolling on Wednesday, September 24th as they kick off CCS play at LaGrange. Gametime is set for 6:00 PM CT.