Houghton Academy was awarded the sportsmanship award for the 2025 volleyball season in Allegany County
From Houghton Academy Athletics,
We played Hammondsport (ranked 6) with a home court advantage on 10/31. Houghton won in 4 sets (25-14, 25-18, 24-26, 25-15). Senior Middle Hitter Julia Winkens led the game with 6 aces, 3 digs, and 7 kills. Senior setter Ellie Brubaker had 5 digs and led the offense with 15 assists.
Houghton Academy played Fillmore (ranked 2) at Fillmore in the semifinals on 11/4/25. We won in 4 sets (18-25, 25-14, 25-17, 27, 25). Senior setter Ellie Brubaker had an awesome game with 27 assists. Yuki Shen, Junior Middle Hitter, had 3 game changing blocks that helped shift the momentum in our favor. Junior Outside HItter Jaqi Dover got on a roll with 15 kills.
We played Elba (ranked 4) in the finals for D2 on 11/7 at Pavilion and won in 3 (25-21, 25-21, 28-26). Senior Middle Hitter Julia Winkens led with 7 kills, 4 digs, and 1 ace. Senior setter Ellie Brubaker had 20 assists and 3 digs. Senior Outside Hitter Emily Xie had 2 aces, 9 digs, and 5 kills. All three were named all stars with Julia Winkens taking the MVP of the tournament.
Houghton went on to play in the crossover game today against D1 champions York. While we lost in 3 (25-11, 25-11, 25-18), the girls rallied back in the third set and held their own. Junior Outside Hitter Jaqi Dover led in kills with 4. Setter Ellie Brubaker had 2 aces and 10 assists, while Senior Emily Xie worked hard on defense and had 10 solid digs. We ended the season at 17-5. York is a strong team with lots of offensive power. We wish them luck as they continue on their bid for states.
This was the first sectional title for Houghton Academy in 25 years. The girls have worked hard, have shown resilience, and have had so much fun together. We have lots of seniors graduating, but they have started something good at Houghton Academy that we hope to build on. As a coach, it has been a real joy to work with this group.
