HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University volleyball team opens its Big South Conference action at Liberty on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Vines Center.
Match Information
Tues., Sept. 19 | Liberty | Lynchburg, Va. | Vines Center |
Live Stats |
Live Stream
PANTHER NOTES
Don't Tussle with these Panthers
• The Purple & White closed out the non-conference season in style by sweeping Elon on Saturday night in the Millis Center to win the Tussle in the Triad. The Panthers, who won the tournament in 2016, repeated by defeating Navy and Elon after dropping a five-set match at UNCG.
• Senior
Haley Barnes was named the tournament MVP after averaging 3.33 kills and 3.42 digs per set.
• Junior
Molly Livingston and freshman
Abby Bottomley also were named to the all-tournament team over the weekend.
Barnes Joins Elite Company
The Neenah, Wis. native became the fourth Panther in the program's Division I era to collect 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in the Purple & White. The other members of the prestigious club are Jamie Kaufman, Audie Gonzalez and Chelsea Davis.
Returning to the Scene
The last time the Panthers visited the Vines Center the team won the Big South Championship in a four-set match against Radford. To get to the finals, High Point defeated host Liberty in five sets in the semifinals.
Climbing in the Record Books
• Livingston has 257 career blocks, which ranks sixth in HPU's career rankings. The Sun Prairie, Wis. product needs five total blocks to tie Stephanie Wallin for fifth.
• Junior
Jordan Hefner is just four behind Livingston and sits in seventh in career total blocks and is fifth in block assists with 224.
• Senior
Carly Jimenez has dished out 1,315 assists and needs 32 to move past Holly Fong for eighth in HPU's career assist rankings.
• As a team, the Panthers are hitting at a .220 clip this fall, which is the second best in HPU's single-season rankings behind the 2012 team's .224 attack percentage.
Among the Conference Leaders
• Freshman
Abby Bottomley leads the Big South Conference with 5.08 digs per set this season while Barnes is 10th with 3.05 per frame.
• Livingston ranks second in hitting percentage (.349) and blocks (1.14/set).
• Sophomore
Jenna Smith ranks fifth in the league with 7.39 assists per frame.
Scouting the Flames
Liberty is 3-10 overall this season and have dropped all four games played in the Vines Center this season. Despite the record, the Flames are leading the Big South in blocks (2.21/set), but are hitting at just a .159 clip offensively on the year. Senior Gabrielle Vess leads the squad in kills (2.77/set) and is second in digs (2.27/set).
Last Time They Met
HPU and Liberty tied for second place in the Big South regular season last year and split their regular season meetings. However, the Panthers won the rubber match in the Big South Championship semifinals in a five-set thriller. In the win,
Abby Broadstreet posted her only double-double of 2016 while Livingston and
Katie Tylman combined for 33 kills in the match.
All-Time Series
The Flames own a 26-14 edge all-time and an 11-25 margin in Big South play. However, HPU is 9-8 in the series since 2010, but has won just four matches against Liberty in the Vines Center in 19 tries.
Next Up
The Panthers head to Charleston Southern on Saturday for a 2 p.m. match against the Bucs.
#GoHPU
