Box Score High Point's volleyball team gave head coach Chad Esposito his first win on the Panther bench Tuesday night, a 3-1 victory over cross-Piedmont Triad rival UNC Greensboro in the Millis Center.

HPU picked up the victory by a linescore of 26-30, 30-19, 32-30, 30-21.

Kamarsha Ryan had 26 kills and Lindsey Pickens 25 kills to lead the Panthers (1-8).

After dropping the first game 30-26, the Panthers rallied to take game two 30-19 and then fought off four game points in the crucial third game to tie the score at 30-30 before Pickens recorded an ace and the Panthers forced an attack error to take the game 32-30.

Leading 11-9 in the fourth game, the Panthers won eight of the next nine points and clinched the match with a 30-21 win.

Kim Anderson led five HPU players in double-figures defensively with 27 digs, joining Pickens (23 digs), Jenelle Stouffer (14), Ryan (12), and April Shields (11).

Heather Butt tallied 48 assists for the Panthers.

LaJean Morrow led the Spartans (2-2) with 14 kills and 24 digs. Also reaching double-figures in kills for UNCG were Abbi Meyer (13), Hilary Overby (11), and Kim Dayton (10). Rebekah Faulise added 19 digs, and Adrian Hicks collected 44 assists.

"In the words of [former Campbell basketball coach Billy Lee], I'm grinning like a possum eating briars," said Esposito, who came to HPU with a career record of 156-97 as a head coach. "I'm very excited with the win, and the team is extremely thrilled. We got a tremendous team effort tonight with superb defense from several players. Karmarsha played liked she is capable of playing, and Lindsey's play really sparked the defense."

HPU faces Marshall, Gardner-Webb, Savannah State and host North Carolina A&T in the Aggie Classic in Greensboro beginning Friday.