MONTGOMERY, Ala. - LaGrange rallied to force a deciding set before falling 3-2 at Huntingdon on Wednesday. The loss dropped the Panthers to 4-12, while the Hawks upped their record to 8-9.

The match was the second meeting of the season with Huntingdon. The Hawks won the first meeting 3-0 at the Huntingdon Jubilee on Aug. 31.

Katie Covington and Hayley LaFontaine each had a match-high 18 kills. For LaFontaine, it was a career-high along with a .469 attack percentage. Covington added 10 digs for her second double-double of the season.

Covington was one of six Panthers with double figures in digs. Ella Weymiller led the team with 23 and Amanda Singletary added 15. Erin McKinstry had her first double-double of the season with 48 assists and 12 digs.

Huntingdon won the first two sets 25-14 and 25-15. The Panthers rallied to tie the match with 25-23 and 25-22 wins in the third and fourth sets.

Trailing 23-21 in the third set, the Panthers scored the final four points to win it. Leslie Rhoades' kill tied the set at 23-23. Nicole Wilson's kill won the set for the Panthers.

The Panthers never trailed in the fourth set. They had 19 kills in the set, with LaFontaine and Covington combining for 11 of them.

In the deciding fifth set, Huntingdon staged its own rally to win the match. The Panthers led 14-10 before the Hawks scored the final six points to take the set and the match.

The Panthers travel to Newport News, Va. on Saturday to play Christopher Newport and Methodist. Christopher Newport is ranked fifth nationally in the latest Division III poll.