Hawks Down MUW In Five Sets

COLUMBUS, Miss.-Improving to 14-11 on the year, Huntingdon Volleyball traveled for a non-conference showdown with the Owls of MUW, escaping with a five set victory over their 5-15 overall SLIAC opponent. 

MUW started things off strongly, taking down the Hawks 25-17 in the first set to stake the early advantage. Recording an equal number of both kills and errors(13 and 4), the difference in the set came down to efficiency, as Huntingdon saw 34 total attempts to just 31 for the Owls, resulting in the opening set victory for the Owls. 

In response, the Hawks claimed the second set with a narrow 25-23 victory, evening things up. MUW flew out of the gates, capturing their momentum from the opening set and riding it to the tune of a 12-4 victory early. Boosted by four Owl consecutive errors however, Huntingdon clawed back into contention, drawing within two, 14-12, after back-to-back kills from Sara Cochran. Not to be outdone, the Owls responded with a 5-1 run that extended their lead to 19-13, but the Hawks caught fire late, seeing kills from A'Kirra McElveen, Morgan Suggs, and Lily VanDyke to reclaim the lead 24-23 before closing things out on the next serve.

The third set mirrored the second in score and result, as Huntingdon took a 2-1 lead with a 25-23 win, but rather than staging a late comeback, the Hawks led from end-to-end, securing a match-high 18 kills to go along with a match-low of 3 errors en route to the victory. Lily VanDyke led the way in the set, picking up four of her 13 total kills in this set alone as the guided Huntingdon to their slight lead. 

With their backs against the wall, MUW took the fourth set 25-16 to force a fifth set. The Hawks couldn't get things going offensively, tallying a hitting percentage of -0.059 following 6 kills and 8 errors on 34 total attempts as MUW tied things up 2-2. 

In the fifth set, Huntingdon found their footing again, walking away with a 3-2 match victory after claiming the set 15-12. Led by Lauren Mason's ace, the Hawks opened things up with a 4-1 run that turned into a 8-5 lead after a MUW error and a Morgan Suggs kill. The Owls drew within two coming down the stretch, 12-10, but two late errors proved to be costly for MUW, securing the 15-12 win for Huntingdon. 

Hawk Top Performers

• #6 Lily VanDyke- 13 kills, 6 digs, 3 solo blocks
• #28 Morgan Suggs- 14 kills, 14 digs, 1 solo block
• #10 A'Kirra McElveen- 8 kills, 1 dig, 2 solo blocks
• #13 Molly Wilson- 7 digs, 3 kills, 28 assists

The Hawks return to CCS action on October 18th, 2025, facing off with Asbury and Piedmont in Demorest, Georgia. Games are set for 1:00 and 3:00 PM CT.