Castine, ME - Husson volleyball hasn't had much luck in recent history against North Atlantic Conference rival Maine Maritime Academy.  In fact, none of Husson's seniors had ever taken a match against MMA in their careers.  

That all changed Wednesday night, as the Eagles went on the road to beat the Mariners for the first time since 2008.  

This match went the distance and then some, as Husson won in five sets (25-18, 22-25, 25-22, 19-25, 18-16).  

It was a heavily-heated back and forth match, with the two teams trading wins through the first four sets.  

Husson held a 12-9 lead in the fifth and final game, leaving them three points from victory.  MMA would not go away quietly however, rallying back to tie at 14-14 and eventually taking the lead at 16-15.  Husson then rallied off three straight points, capped by a kill from Hannah Olstad to seal the victory.  

Eagles' coach Pat DeBeck was thrilled with his players' performance after the match.

"We had outstanding effort on both defense and offense, coupled with Alex [deHertogh] and Kristen [Lawrence] stepping up, this puts us in great shape for [the upcoming North Atlantic Conference] playoffs," reflected DeBeck.  

The Eagles were led by an astounding .538 hitting percentage from sophomore middle-hitter Alexandra deHertogh (Cumberland, RI).  DeHertogh had 15 kills on 26 attempts while only having one hitting error.  She also added two service aces and a pair of digs for the match.

Senior middle-hitter Hannah Olstad (Farmington, NH) also contributed mightily with 16 kills, 14 digs, and four aces for the victors.  

Kelsey Burrill (Somersworth, NH) posted 10 kills and seven digs for Husson, while Michelle Smith (New Boston, NH) tallied a match-high 20 digs to go along with six kills.  Kristen Lawrence (Manchester, NH) was also impressive, adding five kills and 12 digs for the Eagles.  

The Mariners were paced by Syndey Robertson (Barnstead, NH) who put away a match-high 17 kills in defeat.  She also notched four aces.

Ariel Knights (Brookton, ME) added 13 kills, 14 digs, and four aces for the Mariners, while Jennifer Dixon (Woodstock, MD) dished out 41 assists and collected 16 digs in the loss.

The win improves Husson's record to 13-9 (4-1 NAC), while the loss slips MMA to 8-10 (2-3 NAC).  

Husson will return to Castine for two matches against NAC foes from the state of Vermont on Saturday afternoon.  The Eagles will take on Lyndon State at 12:30 PM, followed by a match against Johnson State at 2 PM.