Highlands battled hard but fell to Beechwood in a five-set thriller on Saturday, October 26.
Despite being counted out early, the birds showed resilience and heart, pushing the match to five sets before ultimately dropping a close 3-2 score. Highlands won the first and third sets, proving they could go tie-to-tie with one of the region’s top teams.
Offensively, Liz Perkins (12) led the birds with an outstanding performance, recording 20 kills and 2 blocks, while Taylor Janosick (11) added 14 kills of her own. Ava Ireland (11) and Alexis Steinhauser (10) each added 7 kills, keeping Beechwood’s defense on the edge throughout the match.
Setting up the attacks, Ava Muzumdar (12) and Audrey Sorrentino (12) combined for a strong 50 assists, effectively bringing the ball to the front of the net.
From the back row, Hayden Gessner (12) anchored the defense with30 digs, supported by Madison Barlow (12) with 13 and Mia Perron (6) with 7.
At the net, Edy Hobson (10) stood out defensively with 6 total blocks, including 4 solo, while Bella Thomas (10) added 2 more and brought 3 digs. From the service line, Sorrentino (12) led with 2 aces, and Perkins (12) and Muzumdar (12) each added 1.
Though Highlands came up just short, their fight and teamwork throughout the five set match showed their determination and depth of this senior full team.
