Mount Vernon, Ohio - The Forester volleyball team kicked off the 2024 season at the Cougar Classic hosted by Mount Vernon Nazarene University. In the opener, the #RV Red Wolves of IU-East downed HU in four (25-21, 19-25, 26-24, 25-21). In the second match of the day, Herber's crew took down the Madonna University Crusaders in four (20-25, 25-16, 25-18, 25-23) to earn a split on day one at Ariel Arena.
After splitting the first two sets, the Foresters found themselves up 23-20 in the third set before the Red Wolves went on a 6-1 tear to win the set and ride that momentum to victory.
Haley Kruse led the offensive attack with a game-tying 12 kills. Trevyn Terry had an efficient afternoon with nine kills on 16 swings for a .438 kill percentage. Kortney Grimm chipped in seven kills and a game best 2.5 blocks.
Sophomore Lauren Ross dished out 33 assists commanding the Forester offense. On the defensive side of the net, Layla Meyer and Keila Garton patrolled the back line with 20 and 13 digs respectively.
Herber's crew took the court minutes later to take on the Madonna University Crusaders in the first match up between these two teams since 2002. After dropping the first set, the Foresters stormed back to win three straight to earn their first victory of the 2024 campaign.
Kruse and Grimm each tallied ten kills to lead a balanced offensive attack. Ross dished out 28 assists while settling in as the orchestrator of the Huntington offense. Keila Garton (16) and Layla Meyer (13) combined to dig up 29 Crusader attack attempts.
Garton also served up three aces and put down eight kills. Leah Carter was a strong presence on both sides of the net, logging nine kills and 3.5 blocks.
"Watching our confident court demeanor translate to aggressive play was encouraging," said Coach Kelsey Herber. "Our passing allowed us to run a quick tempo offense, and our blocking was a lot more disciplined in match two of the day."
The Foresters (1-1) remain in Ohio to take on Rochester Christian at 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning.
The Huntington University Foresters compete in 18 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 160 NAIA All-America honors and 567 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.
