High Point at No. 1 North Carolina
WHEN: Friday, Feb. 17 | 5 p.m.
WHERE: Fetzer Field | Chapel Hill, N.C.
RECORDS: High Point (0-0, 0-0) | North Carolina (2-0, 0-0)
SERIES RECORD: 5th meeting | North Carolina leads 4-0
LAST MEETING: UNC won, 17-5 | High Point, N.C. | Feb. 12, 2016
LIVE VIDEO: ACC Network Extra
LIVE STATS: GoHeels.com
 
High Point at Elon
WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 19 | 1 p.m.
WHERE: Rudd Field | Elon, N.C.
RECORDS: High Point (0-0, 0-0) | Elon (3-0, 0-0)
SERIES RECORD: 3rd meeting | Elon leads, 2-1
LAST MEETING: Elon won, 12-8 | High Point, N.C. | March 22, 2016
LIVE STATS: ElonPhoenix.com
 
HIGH POINT, N.C.—The High Point University women's lacrosse team opens the 2017 campaign with a pair of road contests, first against No. 1 and defending NCAA champion North Carolina on Friday afternoon (Feb. 17) at 5 p.m. in Chapel Hill, N.C. The Panthers will then travel to Elon for a Sunday matinee at 1 p.m.
 
In 2016, the Panthers went 13-6 overall and 7-1 in Big South play. HPU advanced to the conference tournament final, but fell to Winthrop, 10-7, in the championship.
 
Quick Hitters
• HPU comes into the season as the preseason favorite to win the Big South Conference and senior Samantha Brown was selected as the Big South Preseason Offensive Player of the Year after tallying 24 goals and 22 assists in 2016. 

• A pair of midfielders, junior Erica Perrotta and sophomore Samantha Herman, were also named to the preseason All-Big South team. Perrotta (32g, 19a) is a two-time All-Big South First Team honoree, while Herman scored 24 goals with 39 draw controls and 24 ground balls in first season in the Purple & White. 

• On the defensive side of the ball, the Panthers return sophomore goaltender Molly Andrews, who finished with a 13-5 record with 120 saves and 34 ground balls in her first year, and three starting defenders in senior All-Big South honoree Christina Del Sesto (31 ground balls, 32 caused turnovers), junior Olivia Nostrant (24 gb, 16 ct) and sophomore Hayley Norris (24 gb, 19 ct). 

• The Panthers are set to open their seventh season of NCAA competition. HPU is 3-3 in season openers, having fallen to UNC in each of the last two season-openers. 
 
All-Time Series with North Carolina
North Carolina (2-0) comes into Friday's contest riding a 19-game winning streak, dating back to Feb. 27, 2016. UNC leads the all-time series, 4-0, and was victorious in last year's meeting, 17-5, in High Point.
 
All-Time Series with Elon
Elon (3-0) comes into the weekend undefeated this season after taking down Winthrop, 13-5, on Wednesday. The Phoenix lead the all-time series, 2-1, and won the 2016 meeting, 12-8, in High Point.
 
Next Up
The Panthers continue on the road at James Madison on Feb. 25. First draw in Harrisonburg, Va., is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
#GoHPU