The Highland Community College-Illinois volleyball team opened its season on Aug. 21 with a hard-fought 3-0 loss to John Wood Community College, falling 27-25, 28-26, 25-19.
The Cougars battled throughout the first two sets, pushing John Wood beyond the standard 25 points in each. Highland came up just short in both sets, dropping the opener 27-25 before falling 28-26 in the second.
Highland continued to compete in the third set but was unable to extend the match, falling 25-19.
Cailyn Lane led the Cougars offensively with nine kills, while Olivia Klinefelter added eight kills. Jocelyn Hall and Emily Quine each finished with five kills, and Izabella Homewood contributed four.
Emily Broshous paced Highland's defense with 23 digs, while Lana Walker added 15 digs. Emily Quine and Macey Schryver each recorded four digs.
The Cougars finished the match with 36 kills and 31 assists. Highland also recorded six service aces, with Quine, Schryver and Kallie Yianibas each contributing two.
Despite the 3-0 result, Highland showed its competitiveness by taking the first two sets down to the wire before John Wood closed out the match in three sets.
