Volleyball Recap: Dynamic Duo of Payton Hrics and Carley Niese Lead Highland to Victory

After having lost a blowout in their previous game against Archbishop Hoban, Highland was happy to have turned things around on Tuesday. They put the hurt on the Cuyahoga Falls Black Tigers with a sharp 3-0 victory. That result was just more of the same for these two, as the Hornets also won the last time the pair played back in October of 2024.

Not only was the match a shutout, it was a big one: Highland took every set by at least 14 points. The match finished with set scores of 25-9, 25-6, 25-11.

Payton Hrics

Assists

09/16/25 vs Cuyahoga Falls	16
09/13/25 @ Archbishop Hoban	12
09/11/25 @ Revere	23
09/09/25 @ Roosevelt	22
09/04/25 vs Barberton	18
+ 5 more games

Leading Highland to victory were Carley Niese and Payton Hrics. Niese had 11 digs and four aces, while Hrics had 16 assists and eight digs. Hrics has been hot for a while, having posted 12 or more assists the last ten times she's played. Lily Vojtko also deserves some recognition as she posted her first assist of the season.

Highland pushed their record up to 7-5 with the win, which was their third straight at home. As for Cuyahoga Falls, they are on a seven-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 2-10.

Highland has already played their next matchup, a 3-2 victory against Aurora on the 18th. As for Cuyahoga Falls, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 3-2 win against Barberton on the 18th.