Hawks Late Rally Comes Up Short At Belhaven

JACKSON, Miss.- Traveling to Rugg Arena for their final CCS road test, Huntingdon Volleyball started slow and tried to rally, but couldn't complete their comeback in their 3-1 loss at the hands of the Belhaven Blazers. 

To get things going, the Hawks dropped the opening set of the match in a highly-contested 26-24 exchange. Despite committing two less errors than Belhaven, Huntingdon saw far less production at the net, recording just five kills in the loss for a -0.022 hitting percentage. Struggling to find a rhythm to their attack early on, the Hawks fell behind 10-6 before the deficit grew to as much as 18-11. Led by Molly Wilson and Cheyenne Ashworth, Huntingdon opened up a 6-0 run to draw within two coming down the stretch, 18-16, before evening things at 23 following Morgan Suggs kill. Belhaven responded emphatically however, scoring on the final two serves to capture the 1-0 advantage. 

The second set was nearly identical to the first as Huntingdon's deficit grew to 2-0 after another 26-24 set loss. Even though they dropped the set, Huntingdon saw a massive uptick in offensive production from the first set- upping their kill total from 5 to 12 behind the efforts of Ashworth and a host of Hawks including Lindsey Holland, A'Kirra McElveen, Morgan Suggs, and Sara Cochran. Nonetheless, the Blazers managed to stake their control in the match, outpacing the Hawks down the stretch with a late run that secured the set for Belhaven. 

Not to be otudone however, the Hawks answered with a 25-19 third set victory to stay alive. Putting together their most efficient set at the net with 12 kills and 6 errors, limiting Belhaven to their match-low of 10 kills. The two teams traded blows in the early stages of the match, but Molly Wilson's ace that put Huntingdon in front 13-11 broke things open. The Blazers immediately responded with a four point swing to capture the lead, but a 10-1 onslaught brought on by the Hawks, including aces from Lauren Mason and kills from Ashworth, Aly Harris, and McElveen, Huntingdon secured a 23-16 lead before claiming the set. 

In a fourth set that, once again, came down to the wire, the Hawks fell 25-22 and split the season series with the Blazers. With the two teams putting up nearly equal numbers at the net, the difference came midway through the set, as a Huntingdon error sparked a three point swing in favor of the Blazers, ultimately resulting in the Belhaven victory. 

The Hawks will look to bounce back at home on November 1st, as they host Covenant and Agnes Scott for Senior Day. Matches are set for 12:00 and 4:00, with the Senior Day ceremony starting prior to the first match.