Belhaven University Athletics

JACKSON, Miss. - Belhaven stood one point away from closing out Tuesday night's conference match, but Huntingdon fought off match point and rallied for a five-set victory inside Rugg Arena.

The Hawks defeated the Blazers 19-25, 25-22, 12-25, 26-24 and 15-13. Belhaven moved to 4-7 overall and 0-2 in Collegiate Conference of the South play, while Huntingdon improved to 3-6 and 1-1 in the league.

The Blazers broke open a back-and-forth first set with five straight points, turning a 6-6 tie into an 11-6 advantage. Kayla Robinson delivered two service aces during the run.

Huntingdon pulled within two before kills from Goldie Lowe and Tarryn Woodall, followed by a block from Lowe and Laila Gauthier, stretched the Belhaven lead to 15-9. The Blazers remained in front the rest of the way, and consecutive kills from Woodall and Gauthier secured the 25-19 win. Belhaven hit .333 in the opening frame with 15 kills and just three errors.

The second set featured six ties and two lead changes. Huntingdon broke an 8-8 tie with four unanswered points, but Belhaven responded and pulled within 13-12 following a Lowe kill and a Woodall ace. The Hawks later built a 20-16 lead before the Blazers made another push. Megan LaCour's kill cut the deficit to 23-22, but Kinsley Martin answered with a kill before Salome De Jesus closed the set with an ace.

Belhaven took control after the break. With the third set tied at 6, the Blazers scored five straight points behind the serve of Maggie Joy Tomlin. Tomlin recorded an ace during the run, while Huntingdon committed three attack errors. After a Huntingdon point, Belhaven reeled off five more to extend the lead to 16-7. Gauthier supplied two kills during the stretch, LaCour added another and Woodall delivered a service ace. The Blazers did not commit an attack error in the third set, finishing with 13 kills on 26 swings for a .500 hitting percentage in the 25-12 win.

The fourth set went back and forth throughout, featuring 10 ties and six lead changes. Belhaven trailed 3-0 early before answering to tie the score, and neither side led by more than three the rest of the way. With the score even at 23, Gauthier put away a Tomlin set to give the Blazers match point. De Jesus answered with a kill, then served an ace to put Huntingdon in front. A block from Jessie Eunice and A'Kirra McElveen completed the three-point run and gave the Hawks a 26-24 win.

Huntingdon carried the momentum into the fifth, scoring seven of the first eight points. Belhaven responded behind Angel Edwards, whose consecutive aces pulled the Blazers within 9-7. The Hawks rebuilt their lead to 13-9 before Belhaven scored three straight, including a Woodall kill, to make it 13-12. Huntingdon reached match point on a De Jesus kill, but Gauthier answered to bring Belhaven within 14-13. The Hawks secured the match on the following rally.

LaCour led all players with 20 kills while hitting .333. She became the second Blazer to record at least 20 kills in a match this season, joining Woodall. Gauthier added 13 kills on a .294 hitting percentage and contributed three block assists. Woodall recorded her second double-double of the season with 11 kills and 11 digs while adding two aces.

Tomlin handed out 49 assists, her second-highest total of the season, and finished with four kills and three aces. Robinson anchored the back row with a match-high 27 digs to go along with five assists and three aces. Cami Davis recorded six kills on 10 attempts for a .400 hitting percentage and added three block assists. Edwards matched Robinson and Tomlin with three aces.

Belhaven finished with a .255 hitting percentage, 62 kills, 69 digs and 11 service aces. Huntingdon recorded 63 kills, 68 digs and three aces while hitting .232. The difference came late, as the Hawks hit .341 in the fourth set and .304 in the fifth. Belhaven hit .098 and .077, respectively, over the final two frames.

The Blazers return to the road Friday, Sept. 25, for a 5 p.m. match at Berea in Berea, Kentucky.

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