FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Day two of the Onset Invitational at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum saw the Huntington volleyball team pick up two more wins to remain perfect on the season at 4-0. HU took care of business against Wayland Baptist, 25-16, 25-15, 18-25, and then disposed of IU South Bend, 20-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-17, in the afternoon.
"Starting the season off 4-0 builds a lot of confidence in this team," said Coach Kelsey Herber. "I couldn't be more proud of our competitive drive and the way every single member of this team contributes to our success.
"They are excellent teammates, stay engaged with each point in the match and celebrate one another in love. I wouldn't want to be coaching any other team right now than this one."
Against the Pioneers, set one was all HU as they never trailed. Down early in the next set, the Foresters leaned on Haley Kruse to get things trending in the right direction again. She didn't disappoint with four kills as part of a 9-1 run that made for a lopsided second set win. WBU came back to win the next set before the Foresters regrouped to easily take set four.
Kruse finished with a career-best 20 kills. It was a banner morning for the 5-7 sophomore as she also established new career-highs in aces (8) and digs (15). Kortney Grimm also ended up in double digits with 11 kills while Trevyn Terry finished with seven.
Morgan Robrock was her usual picture of consistency, handing out 38 dimes and tracking down 18 digs. As a team, Huntington posted 88 digs behind Layla Meyer's 20. Makailah Thompson added 17 digs and Olivia Krahn finished with 13.
The second match of the day against IUSB didn't start off too hot for Herber and crew but they wasted little time turning things around. After dropping the opening set, HU reeled off three straight wins to wrap up their time in Fort Wayne.
Kruse spearheaded the offense with 17 kills. From the middle, Leah Carter and Terry each took 13 swings to the tune of eight and seven kills respectively. Grimm collected seven kills and Maisyn Robrock chipped in six. As a team, HU finished with 48 kills and a hitting percentage of .288 while their counterparts posted 37 kills and a hitting percentage of .134.
Robrock tallied 42 assists and three aces. Meyer trolled the backline for 16 digs.
During Coach Herber's five-year tenure, it's the first time HU has faced off against these two teams. The Foresters (4-0) host a tri-match at Huntington North High School on Tuesday. HU will play Concordia (Mich.) at 10:00 a.m. followed by a match up with Trinity Christian at 2:00 p.m.
The Huntington University Foresters compete in 18 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 154 NAIA All-America honors and 501 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 Report ranks Huntington among the best colleges in the Midwest.
