Box Score Almost as if scripted by a Hollywood writer, High Point University senior Sabrina Wahid pounded down the final kill in the Panther's 3-2 (30-24, 27-30, 30-25, 25-30, 15-7) Big South Conference victory against Coastal Carolina on HPU "Senior Day" on Saturday afternoon in the Millis Center.
High Point started quickly and then regained its steam late in the hard-fought five-game contest with Coastal Carolina. The win upped the Panthers season tally to 8-18 overall and 6-5 in the Big South, establishing a new program record for conference victories. CCU falls to 6-21 and 2-9 Big South after the loss.
"This was another big win for us," said HPU head coach Chad Esposito. "Coastal Carolina always plays us tough and today was no different. We played well at times today and were able to overcome some flat periods. I was proud of how the team continued to battle and finally put things together in the fifth game. Hopefully, we can just continue to build this momentum as we move down the closing stretch of the regular season."
Junior Jamie Kaufman was the lone HPU attacker in double-figure kills finishing with 22, but High Point got solid contributions from a variety of players as six other hitters finished with between six and nine kills in the match. Sophomore setter Kristina Taylor dished out 53 assists and also sparked the Panther's from the service line tallying five aces. HPU finished the match with a season-best 13 aces.
Freshman Audie Gonzalez recorded 26 digs to lead a trio of High Point back-row defenders in double-digits. Libero Lauren Hatch added 16 digs and Tara Dyer chipped in 13. Wahid and sophomore Lindsay Raus shared team honors with five blocks each.
Nakia Thompson and Kristin Rinne each posted 13 kills to lead a quartet of Chants in double digits. Libero Brett Starbuck topped all players with 30 digs while Ashley Scheible netted nine blocks for the CCU front line.
High Point closes out its current home stand with a match against non-conference foe Campbell on Tuesday at 7 p.m., before returning to Big South play next weekend at Radford and Liberty.