High Point overcame a sluggish start in earning a hard fought 3-1 (30-25, 24-30, 30-20, 30-21) volleyball victory over Charleston Southern on Sunday afternoon at the Millis Athletic Center.

HPU (23-7, 8-3 Big South) struggled for much of the day against a scrappy CSU (9-19, 1-10 Big South) squad. The win was the Panthers fourth in a row and 14th in their last 15 contests. It also marked High Point's seventh consecutive home victory.

"We are just excited to get this win and continue our momentum," said HPU head coach Chad Esposito, who has now guided the Panthers to program records for overall and conference win totals this year. "We had a tough time with our execution today and I have to give credit to Charleston Southern for serving us tough and setting some really solid blocks. I thought we did a much better job after the break and I was pleased to how the team responded to the challenge."

Junior Ashley Mellott led the Panther attack finishing with 19 kills while fellow junior Lindsay Raus added 16 kills and a team-leading five blocks. Sophomore Audie Gonzalez tallied 21 digs to pace a group of five HPU players with double-figure digs. Junior setter Kristina Taylor handed out 56 assists along with posting 13 digs for her 15th double-double of the season.

CSU's Renae Popovich led all players with 20 kills in the contest while adding 10 digs for a double-double. Setter Sam Sasan also finished with a double-double performance on the day recording 33 assists and 13 digs while also serving up a match high three aces. Libero Tricia Rodl shared match honors with Gonzalez after finishing with 21 digs.

Game one was marked by scoring runs from both teams. Charleston Southern made the first move as Sasan tallied five straight service points to give CSU a 13-10 advantage. The Panthers clawed back into the game and got four straight points on Julie Hershkowitz' serve to earn a 16-15 lead. The two squads traded the lead over several rotations until a late 5-1 surge allowed HPU to earn the winning margin.

A sluggish Panther team fell behind quickly in game two as the Lady Bucs took advantage of HPU mistakes to grab a 7-3 lead. High Point tried to close the margin but Popovich put CSU in front 20-12 after a five-point service spree. Hershkowitz and Lauren Hatch combined for a handful of service points allowing High Point to rally before Charleston Southern regrouped and closed out the game with a 6-2 spurt.

A much more focused HPU group returned to the floor following the break after game two. High Point outscored the Lady Bucs 16-4 after the score was knotted at four to seize control of the contest. Hatch, Gonzalez and Taylor all recorded multi-point runs on their serve during the scoring stretch. CSU attempted a late surge but it was too little, too late as the Panthers grabbed the 2-1 match lead.

Taylor again sparked a scoring run for the Panthers to break things open midway through the fourth game. With the score tied at eight, Taylor recorded five straight points as part of an 8-1 Panther run that put HPU in front 16-9. High Point continued its improved play down the stretch to hold off a tough challenge from the Lady Bucs.

High Point will close out the regular season with a pair of home matches this week. The Panthers host Triad-rival Winston-Salem State on Tuesday at 7 p.m., before welcoming defending Big South Conference champion Winthrop on Saturday at 2 p.m. Prior to Saturday's regular season finale, HPU's senior class of Whitney Kaltenegger, Ashley Johnson and Jamie Kaufman will be honored in a pre-match ceremony.