Hawks Drop Double-Header To Mary-Hardin Baylor

MONTGOMERY, Ala.- Taking a brief hiatus from conference play, Huntingdon Volleyball returned to action in Roland Arena, hosting the Crusaders of Mary-Hardin Baylor University for a double-header, dropping each match 3-0. 

Match One

The Crusaders set the tone in the opening set, taking a 1-0 advantage with a 25-14 victory. Each team sound themselves with 11 kills, but the Hawks 11 errors compared to 0 for Mary-Hardin Baylor proved to be the difference. Making the most of those errors, the Crusaders jumped out to a 6-1 lead and never looked back. 

The second set saw more of the same, as the Hawks fell 25-18 in the second set to go behind 2-0. Led by A'Kirra McElveen, the Hawks battled to even things 10-10 midway through the set, but an equal number of kills and errors(7) served as the difference-maker yet again, as the Crusaders recorded 10 kills and just six errors to take the advantage and move ahead 2-0. 

Boosted by a 13-3 run to open the set, Mary-Hardin Baylor walked away with a 3-0 victory following a 25-11 third set win. Huntingdon saw their lowest hitting percentage of the match, recording 4 kills and 6 errors in the loss. Morgan Suggs, Aly Harris, and A'Kirra McElveen tried to rally late, but the Crusaders managed to walk away with the victory in game one.

Match Two

Building off their momentum generated from their win in the first match, Mary-Hardin Baylor got things going in the second match with a 25-12 opening set victory. The Hawks battled early, trading blows with the Crusaders off of kills from Morgan Suggs and A'Kirra McElveen to find themselves locked into a 7-7 tie, but the Crusaders took off, outscoring the Hawks 18-5 through the remainder of the set to take a 1-0 advantage. 

Mary-Hardin Baylor continued their success into the second set, claiming it 25-15 to extend their lead to 2-0. The Hawks improved offensively in this set, utilizing kills from Lily VanDyke, McElveen, and Molly Wilson en route to a 0.023 hitting percentage, but the Crusaders remained efficient at the net, picking up 13 kills, most of which came on a late 7-0 run, to cement their advantage coming down the stretch.

The Hawks put forth a valiant effort in the third set, but ultimately were defeated 25-23 to close the match. McElveen, Lindsey Holland, and Jessie Eunice led the offensive attack early, each recording kills to contribute to the 6-6 tie early on. Not to be outdone however, the Crusaders followed up with a 4-0 run and led through the duration of the srt, securing a match high 16 kills to put the Hawks away. 

Hawks Volleyball looks to bounce back tomorrow, October 4th as they host Maryville and Wesleyan for a Collegiate Conference of the South tri-match. Huntingdon will face Maryville at 12:30 and Wesleyan at 4:30 PM CT.