Box Score BOX SCORE

After taking a 2-0 lead the High Point University volleyball team fell to Radford 3-2 (25-22, 25-22, 17-25, 26-28, 10-15) Tuesday at the Dedmon Center in Radford, Va. The Panthers fall to 9-9 on the season and 0-3 in Big South Conference play.

Megan Smith (Bellbrook, Ohio, Bellbrook) had 17 kills in the match and Stephanie Wallin (Plymouth, Minn., Robbinsdale Armstrong) had 14 kills. Molly Barlow (Phoenix, Ariz., Seton Catholic) had five service aces to go with five kills, eight digs and four blocks. Holly Fong (Sebastopol, Calif., El Molino) had 42 assists in the match.

In the first set the teams traded points until a Barlow kill tied the frame at 13-13. A Radford attack error gave HPU a 14-13 lead and the Panthers extended the lead to 16-13 with a block and a kill from Anna Lott on consecutive plays. High Point extended its lead to 23-20 on a solo block from Megan Kaminskas (Flagstaff, Ariz., Flagstaff), forcing a Highlanders timeout. Radford got a kill from Emily Hayes out of the break to come within three at 23-20. The Highlanders committed a service error giving HPU a 24-21 advantage. Barlow had an attack error on set point but the Highlanders answered with a service error giving HPU the 25-22 set win. Smith and Wallin each had three kills in the set and Julie Hershkowitz (Scottsdale, Ariz., Seton Catholic) had eight digs in the frame.

In the second set High Point took a narrow 8-7 lead. With Tara Dyer (Fountain Hills, Ariz., Fountain Hills) at the service line the Panthers went on a 4-0 run, extending their lead to 12-7. The Highlanders attempted a comeback late in the set, coming within one point of HPU at 19-18 but the Panthers scored the next four point to take a 23-18 advantage. Smith put the set away for the Panthers with her eighth kill of the set, giving HPU the 25-22 win and the 2-0 match advantage.

The Highlanders rallied to force a fourth set, winning set three 25-17. Radford jumped out to a 21-12 advantage in the third frame. Wallin and Lott put down kills out of the timeout called by Oliver but it was too late as the Highlanders took set three 25-17. Fong had nine assists in the set.

Radford carried the momentum in to the fourth set, taking a 3-17 lead late in the set. Two Radford attack errors let HPU back in the set and Lott and Barlow combined for a block, bringing HPU within three at 23-20. Lyndsay Rowley (New Albany, Ohio, New Albany) had a service ace to make it 24-21 but Radford answered with a kill to make it set point 24-21. Barlow and Smith had kills to fight off set points and Fong got a kill on a set over the net to tie the score at 24-24. The teams traded the points until Radford took a 27-26 lead on a kill from Desiree Aramburu and Wallin's attack on the next play was called out of bounds giving Radford the set 28-26 and forcing a fifth set.

Radford took a quick 3-0 lead in the final set forcing Oliver to call a timeout and regroup the Panthers. Wallin had a kill out of the break and Barlow and Megan Kaminskas put up a block to shorten Radford's lead to 3-2. The Highlanders took back control of the set, going on to a 15-10 set win and a 3-2 match win.

Rowley finished the match with a season-high 14 digs.

The Panthers are back on the road Saturday looking for their first conference win, when they head to Clinton, S.C. to take on Presbyterian at 4 p.m.