Live Stats at UNC Asheville | Live Video at UNC Asheville | Live Stats at Gardner-Webb

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University volleyball team is riding a hot streak as it heads west to UNC Asheville and Gardner-Webb on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
 
The Panthers (17-7, 7-1) are off to their best start ever in Big South play and look to continue their 6-match winning streak against two more conference foes this weekend. HPU is in the midst of a 6-match road trip after besting Charleston Southern and Campbell away from the Millis Center last week.
 
Last Time Out:
The Purple & White faced early deficits to the Camels in all four sets in Buies Creek, N.C. on Friday night, but stormed back to win three of them and take the match 3-1. Sophomore Haley Barnes led the Panthers with 11 kills and 19 digs while freshman Abby Broadstreet chipped in with 11 kills on the night.
 
Defensively, senior Annemarie Chin's 25 digs led HPU. Meanwhile, freshman Molly Livingston compiled six total blocks to go with her 10 kills. In the match, the Panthers tallied an incredible 90 digs to hold Campbell to a paltry .124 attack percentage.
 
Scouting the Bulldogs:
Despite being tabbed to finish ninth in the preseason poll, UNC Asheville (11-9) finds itself in fourth in the standings with a 4-4 record in Big South play. The squad has already equaled its conference wins totals from last season when it missed the tournament.
 
The key reasons for that success are senior Christine Lakatos and junior Madison Vaughn. Lakatos leads the team with 2.45 kills per set and is second with 2.63 digs per frame. Likewise, Vaughn is having a solid season with hitting .329 and averaging 1.18 blocks per set, which is good for second in the league.
 
Last Time They Met:
The two squads met last season on Halloween when the Panthers swept the Bulldogs (25-15, 25-12 and 25-16) in front of a raucous crowd. Barnes just missed a double-double with nine kills and 13 digs while senior Gabi Mirand registered 33 assists, 13 digs and two aces.
 
Scouting the Runnin' Bulldogs:
Gardner-Webb (9-16, 3-5) was picked to finish eighth and finds itself in a battle to make the conference tournament. The team lost its first two conference matches before running off three straight wins. However, the Runnin' Bulldogs dropped road matches at Coastal Carolina and Charleston Southern to fall under .500.
 
Senior Anna Pashkova the heart of the GWU defense racking up 5.23 digs per set. Likewise, sophomore Sydney Marshall, who leads the league with 1.20 blocks per frame, is a critical piece of a defense that allows opponents to hit just .173 on the year. On offense, its senior Tyra Montour that leads the way with 2.48 kills per set.
 
Last Time They Met:
The Runnin' Bulldogs took the first set 28-26 in the Millis Center on Nov. 1, 2014 before HPU stormed back for a 3-1 win. The Panthers earned a 92-75 margin in digs behind 40 from then-juniors Wavie Chin and Annemarie Chin. Barnes, meanwhile, posted an 11-kill, 19-dig performance in the win.
 
Panther Notes:
• Senior Annemarie Chin (5.79 digs/set) and the team (17.69 digs/set) lead the Big South respectively and rank fifth and second nationally.
 
• Sophomore Haley Barnes has 13 double-doubles this season and ranks second in the league in kills (3.47 kills/set) and 11th in digs (3.07 digs/set).
 
• HPU is limiting opponents to a league-best .158 hitting percentage this season and just .151 in conference play.
 
• During conference action freshman Molly Livingston is making a case for being the league's freshman of the year by leading all freshmen in hitting percentage (.434), blocks (1.16/set) and points (3.47/set).
 
• The Panthers have won 12 of their last 13 matches – the best stretch in head coach Jason Oliver's tenure.
 
• Entering 2015, HPU hadn't had a 6-match winning streak since the end of the 2010 season, it has two this season.
 
Next Up:
The Purple & White will wrap up their road schedule with contests at Liberty (Friday, Nov. 6) and Radford (Saturday, Nov. 7).
 
#GoHPU