HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University volleyball team takes its 11-match winning streak into a weekend road trip to UNC Asheville and Winthrop this weekend.
 
The Panthers (16-6, 9-0) tied the program's longest Division I winning streak with a 3-0 sweep of Gardner-Webb in the Millis Center on Tuesday night. The win also tied this group with the 2008 team for HPU's best start in Big South action.
 
MATCH INFORMATION:
Fri., Oct. 20 | UNC Asheville | Justice Center | Live Stats
Sat., Oct. 21 | Winthrop | Winthrop Coliseum | Live Stats | Live Video
 
PANTHER NOTES:
Stringing W's Together
• Along with tying the program's longest winning streak, single-season conference winning streak and best conference start, High Point has the longest active set-winning streak (23).
 
• The seven straight sweeps are the most in league play by a Big South team since Coastal Carolina won nine consecutive matches in straight sets.
 
• High Point (23) and Western Kentucky (22) are the only two programs to enter the weekend having won at least 20 consecutive sets.
 
• HPU's 11-match winning streak is tied with Kentucky, BYU and Fairfield for the fifth-longest active streak in America.
 
Ranking Higher
• The Panthers were just two spots outside of VolleyballMag.com's Mid-Major Top 25 this week, it's the highest they've been all year.
 
• In last week's RPI, High Point came in at 55 – the highest in program history. The Purple & White are now ranked 57 entering this week's action.
 
Diggin' in Her Heels
• Freshman Abby Bottomley racked up 27 digs against GWU on Tuesday, which was the most by a Big South player in a three-set match this fall.
 
• The Virginia Beach, Va. native leads the Big South and ranks among the nation's top-20 with 5.38 digs per set.
 
• No High Point freshman has averaged more than 5.03 digs per set and only Annemarie Chin has averaged more than Bottomley's current pace posting 5.61 in 2015 and 5.41 in 2013.
 
Making a Living(ston) in the Middle
• During High Point's seven consecutive sweeps, junior Molly Livingston is hitting .### with 71 kills and just three errors.
 
• Overall, the Sun Prairie, Wis. product is leading the Big South and ranks in the top-30 nationally in hitting percentage.
 
• She's on pace to crush High Point's Division I single-season and career hitting percentage records. Her season mark of .393 is .069 ahead of the record while her career percentage (.347) is nearly half of a percentage point higher than the previous record.
 
Movin' on Up
• Senior Haley Barnes ranks sixth all-time in D-I kills at High Point and trails Kristin Heldt by 44 for fifth place. Likewise, the Neenah, Wis. native moved to eighth in career digs last week with 1,066.
 
• In the past week, senior Carly Jimenez has passed Heather Butt and Jamie Kutz for fifth in Division I career assists with 1,491 in her time in the Purple & White.
 
• Formed by Barnes, Jimenez and Amy Pilat, the 2017 class has won 37 of 53 Big South Conference regular season matches. The class' 37 wins are tied for the third-most and just three behind the 2010 group's record of 40.
 
•  The trio's .698 winning percentage in Big South matches is the best in HPU history.
 
KNOW THE OPPONENT
All-Time Series against UNC Asheville

Overall	10-28
Big South	9-23
At UNC Asheville	3-13
Streak	Won 2

Last Time They Met
The Panthers and Bulldogs meet just six days after High Point earned a 3-0 sweep of UNC Asheville in the Millis Center on Oct. 14. In that match, Livingston and Barnes each tallied a dozen kills to lead HPU to the win.
 
Scouting the Bulldogs
The Justice Center might provide the best home court advantage in the Big South as UNC Asheville is 4-0 at home in conference play and just 1-4 on the road. The Bulldogs have won nine straight sets and 12 of 14 against league foes at home this fall.
 
All-Time Series against Winthrop

Overall	9-26
Big South	9-24
At Winthrop	4-11
Streak	Lost 1

 
Last Time They Met
With this being the first time these two teams have met this season, Winthrop enters the weekend as the only Big South team to have won its most recent match against HPU. The Eagles swept the Panthers in the Millis Center on Oct. 29, 2016.
 
Scouting the Eagles
Similar to UNC Asheville, Winthrop opened Big South play going 3-1 in all home matches, but has followed that with a 1-3 mark on the road. The Eagles host Liberty on Friday night prior to High Point's visit just a week after beating the Flames in five sets in the Vines Center. Winthrop is led by the ultra-efficient Keaupono Fey who is hitting .342 this year, which is good for second in the Big South behind Livingston.
 
NEXT UP
The Panthers return to the Millis Center next weekend to host Campbell (Fri.) and Presbyterian (Sat.).
 
#GoHPU