The High Point volleyball bounced back following a tough weekend with an impressive 3-0 (30-25, 30-12, 30-26) sweep over in-state rival UNC Greensboro on Tuesday night at the Millis Athletic Center.

With the win, HPU snapped a three-match losing skid and improved to 2-3 on the season. The loss dropped the Spartans to 0-4 for the year.

The Panthers featured a balanced attack in the match as six different hitters combined to finish with a season-high .394 hitting percentage. Sophomore Jamie Kaufman and freshman Ashley Mellott shared team honors with 11 kills each with freshman Lindsay Raus chipping in a season best nine kills.

"This was our most sustained, consistent effort of the season," said HPU head coach Chad Esposito. "We had a total team effort and finished with a solid victory. I believe that this may have been the best hitting performance in a match by our team in my three years at High Point. We did a great job of controlling the tempo with our serves and defense. This should definitely give us some confidence to build on for the rest of the season."

Game one was a battle as each team took a turn in the lead. High Point used a late surge and a .500 hitting performance to earn the 30-25 win. In the second frame, Kaufman broke things open from the service line as HPU scored 11 consecutive points on her aggressive jump serve. The final game saw the two rivals battle back-and-forth before the Panthers eventually gained enough breathing room to capture the match.

Senior Jenelle Stouffer paced the Panther defense with 12 digs while Sabrina Wahid and Michelle Feiser each recorded three blocks to lead the HPU net play.

Kaitlyn Nortz was the lone Spartan in double digits finishing with a match-high 14 kills on the night. Adrian Hicks and Alysia Rosvold each totaled six digs for the UNCG defense. As a team, UNC Greensboro posted a .080 hitting percentage for the match.

High Point now hits the road for a stretch of 12 matches that will keep the Panthers away from home for a month. HPU's next home match is scheduled for Oct. 8 against Big South foe UNC Asheville. The team returns to competition this weekend at the Trident Classic in Annapolis, Md. HPU plays Niagara (2 p.m.) and Delaware State (6 p.m.) on Friday before meeting tournament host Navy on Saturday at 1 p.m.

(Picture by Caitlin Bonner)