HUNTINGTON, Ind. - The Marian volleyball team fell in their second consecutive match on Wednesday night, as Huntington upended the Knights 3-0 in Platt Arena. After the defeat, Marian falls to 10-4 overall and 2-3 in Crossroads League action.

The Foresters ran away with an early lead in set one, outpacing the team 9-4 through 13 rallies. Chloe Cook kills were the early offensive counter for Marian, but her efforts were unmatched for the Huntington offense, as the Foresters hit .233 higher than the Knights. Marian committed 11 attack errors in set one which attributed to Huntington's lead. Trailing 19-11, Marian went on a 4-1 run to get back within five, but the sprint that featured a Cook and Ava Tindall kill was unable to bring the Knights even, as they fell 25-18.

Like set one, Huntington built an early lead on Marian, and never looked back as the Knights fell behind 6-2. Huntington had a strong offensive set in the second game, hitting .286 with 13 kills, while Marian recorded just nine kills, as six errors saw their percentage stand at .073. The set would push to a tie at 9-9 as Marian was able to take advantage of two Huntington mistakes, but the Foresters responded with a 5-0 run of their own, putting the game out of reach. Another sprint of five consecutive points pushed the lead for the hosts to nine, as Marian would go on to lose the second set 25-14. 

Trailing 0-2, Marian battled in set three, playing even against the Foresters through the first eight sets. Sarah Bennett and Khori Dryden provided some early offense that helped the team capture a 9-7 lead. The lead wouldn't stick as Huntington chopped back, but the Knights remained determined to extend the match as Bennett and Dryden continued to keep their team alive. A solo block from Dryden gave Marian a 16-12 lead, but Huntington would respond with a 3-0 run, wiping away Marian's momentum. The Knights won the race to 20 points with a block from Ava Tindall and Nicole Wilkinson giving them a 20-18 edge, but it would not be enough to hold off Huntington. 

The Foresters answered the 20-18 score with a 5-1 run, inching one score from match point. Avery Toole and Sarah Bennett prolonged match point with a kill and block solo, however, the Knights could not deny the Huntington offense, as the hosts went to Haley Kruse for the final two points of the match, taking set three 25-23.

Marian's final set was their best offensive output of the night, as they had 12 kills and a hitting percentage of .095, out-hitting the home team by 0.01. Overall the Knights hit 0.048, falling to Huntington for the first time since October 12, 2022. 

Cook led the Knights with nine kills, while Dryden had four kills and two total blocks. Sami Luttel had 16 assists in the loos, and Emma Lyons had 17 digs. 

Marian continues a three-game road stint on Saturday, traveling to No. 22 Taylor for a 1:00 p.m. match.

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