Huntington picks off #15 Marian in three

HUNTINGTON, Ind. – The Forester volleyball team dismantled #15 Marian (17-3, 9-3) Wednesday night at Platt Arena by way a 3-0 sweep (25-9, 25-23, 26-24). It's Coach Herber's first coaching victory over a ranked opponent and the program's first win over a Top 20 team since August of 2018 when HU knocked off #16 Cornerstone in four.

Contributions were widespread with Haley Kruse leading a balanced attack with 11 kills. Three other Foresters in Tya Bynum, De'Janea Johnson and Kortney Grimm each collected eight kills. Leah Carter put down six on an evening where Huntington posted a .283 hitting percentage.

Morgan Robrock organized the offense by handing out 39 assists while picking up five digs, four kills and four aces along the way. The Foresters defended their backline behind Layla Meyer's 25 digs. Olivia Krahn and Grimm were also active defensively having tracked down ten and eight digs respectively.

The Foresters came out firing on all cylinders to cruise to the 14-point win in the opening set over a Knight squad who entered the game sitting atop the league standings. While the second set was much closer, HU never trailed. The third set proved a different story as the hosts had to overcome a 23-19 deficit to pull out the win for the shutout.

"We've known this level of performance has been inside our team this entire season," said Coach Kelsey Herber. "Tonight our players saw that inside themselves. I'm eager for us to move forward with confidence the rest of the season.

"It is an honor to lead these women. I love them and am proud of them every day, but I couldn't be more excited for them tonight. This was the definition of a team win. Each person made an impact, and I would choose this team any day."

Tonight's win snaps a 13-game win streak the Knights have held over Huntington since 2016. The Foresters (11-14, 5-7) are back in Platt Arena on Saturday to host Saint Xavier at 1:00 p.m.

The Huntington University Foresters compete in 17 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 125 NAIA All-America honors and 449 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 Reportranks Huntington among the best colleges in the Midwest.