Box Score BOX SCORE

Freshman outside hitter Courtney Johnk (Larkspur, Calif., Redwood) set a new career high with 19 kills as the High Point University volleyball team topped Liberty 3-1 (27-25, 25-16, 21-25, 25-21) for their second consecutive Big South win. The Panthers improve to 12-11 (2-5 BSC) while the Lady Flames are 10-9 (5-2 BSC). Sophomore setter Holly Fong (Sebastopol, Calif., El Molino) also set a new career high with 55 assists. It is her third 50 assist match of the season.

“Holly Fong was our engine tonight,” said head coach Jason Oliver. “She made great decisions against a really good Liberty team who was without their starting setter tonight. She was steady, understood where to put the ball and executed. If Courtney and Holly can continue to develop we will have the chemistry and makeup of a team who wins important matches all the time.”

This is the first win for HPU over Liberty since the 2005 season.

Liberty maintained the lead through much of the first set before a kill from Stephanie Wallin (Plymouth, Minn., Robbinsdale Armstrong) put the Panthers up 20-19. HPU extended the lead to 24-21 but the Lady Flames fought off three set points to knot the score up at 24-24. A kill from Megan Kaminskas (Flagstaff, Ariz., Flagstaff) put HPU up 26-25 and Liberty was called out of rotation to give HPU the 27-25 set win.

High Point took the second set 25-16 behind six kills from Johnk and 13 assists from Fong. The Panthers led 19-14 on a service ace from Megan Smith (Bellbrook, Ohio, Bellbrook), forcing a Liberty timeout. HPU kept momentum after the break, rolling to a 25-16 set win, and 2-0 set advantage.

Liberty rebounded in the third set, taking an early 9-5 lead. Three straight kills from Johnk put HPU up 11-10. The teams would battle the entire set, with the score tied nine times before Chelaine McCarty put the Lady Flames on top 22-21 with her eighth kill of the set. Liberty went on to take set three 25-21.

The Lady Flames tried to force a fifth set, tying the fourth frame as late at 19-19 but Fong and Johnk combined to put HPU up 20-19. Liberty made back-to-back attack errors and Wallin had a kill to give High Point the 24-20 advantage. Loren Thomas had a kill to keep the Lady Flames alive but Wallin put down her 12th kill of the game as the Panthers took set four 25-21.

Megan Smith had her sixth double-double of the season with 15 kills and 16 digs. Senior Lyndsay Rowley (New Albany, Ohio, New Albany) came up with 11 digs and junior libero Julie Hershkowitz (Scottsdale, Ariz., Seton Catholic) had 23 digs in the match.

The Panther will look to extend their winning streak to three when they host Charleston Southern Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Millis Center.