TOURNAMENT INFO

Friday, September 10 -- at #4 Pitt (Pittsburgh, Pa.), 10 a.m.
Live Stats | Watch | Match Notes
 
Saturday, September 11 -- vs. Bowling Green (Pittsburgh, Pa.), 11 a.m.
Live Stats | Match Notes
 
Saturday, September 11 -- vs. #12 BYU (Pittsburgh, Pa.), 4 p.m.
Live Stats | Match Notes
 
The High Point University volleyball team (5-2) returns to the northeast this weekend for the Panther Challenge, hosted by Pitt. It's an all-Panther matchup to start the tournament as HPU takes on No. 4-ranked Pitt (5-0) on Friday (Sept. 10) at 10 a.m. The Purple and White then play a pair of matches on Saturday (Sept. 11) to finish the event out, facing Bowling Green (3-3) at 11 a.m. and then No. 12 BYU (6-0) at 4 p.m.
 
Only the match against Pitt will be streamed on ACC Network Extra, with a link to watch available here.
 

Pitt Preview

Matchup History

• High Point and Pitt have met once before, just three years ago in 2018, when Pitt came away victorious in its Pitt Invite, beating the Purple and White in four sets.
• This will be the 25th time HPU has played an ACC opponent, a conference the Panthers are 5-19 against in the first 24 matchups.

 

Across the Bench

• Pitt is off to a hot start in 2021, only five months removed from an appearance in the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament in Omaha.
• The Panthers enter the weekend ranked No. 4 in the country, their highest ranking since 2019 when they were ranked No. 2.
• It's the 12th time in program history Pitt has been ranked in the Top 5 and the 57th consecutive week Pitt has been in the AVCA Top 25 rankings.
• The Panthers are a strong blocking team, currently sitting 42nd in the country with 54 total blocks.
• Kayla Lund leads Pitt's offense and averages 3.55 kills per set. Lund also leads the Panthers' backcourt defense with a 2.59 digs per set average.
• Two Pitt players average over a block per set in Serena Gray (1.14) and Sabrina Starks (1.10).
• Chinaza Ndee is close behind with an average of 0.95 B/S. Gray is also the most efficient hitter on the Panthers' roster with a hitting percentage of .350 through the first five matches of the season.

 

Bowling Green Preview

Matchup History

• High Point and Bowling Green have played each other once before, way back in 2004. The Falcons got the better of the Panthers at the West Virginia Invitational, beating HPU in four sets.
• The Purple and White are 4-2 all-time against teams in the MAC, with wins coming against Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, and Ohio.

 

Across the Bench

• Bowling Green is 3-3 on the season and is coming off a 2-1 weekend at the Shamrock Invitational hosted by Notre Dame.
• The Falcons made the NCAA Tournament a season ago after going 20-1 in MAC play and winning the conference tournament before falling to Weber State in the first round.
• BGSU is one of the top teams at digging the ball, entering the Panther Challenge 10th in the country with 437 total digs.
• The Falcons also have some of the top kill totals in the country and enter the weekend 18th in the nation with 325 total kills.
• Two Falcons average over 3.25 kills per set in Petra Indrova (3.62) and Katelyn Meyer (3.31).
• Indrova is second on the team in digs per set with 3.04, only behind team-leading Yelianiz Torres at 4.04.
• Katie Kidwell leads BGSU in hitting percentage .262 and is the lead blocker at the net with an average of 0.85 blocks per set.

 

BYU Preview

Matchup History

• Saturday will be the first-ever meeting between High Point and BYU, with the Cougars being the last new opponent of the season for the Purple and White.
• BYU will be the third team from the WCC High Point has faced, joining Loyola Marymount (0-2) and Portland (0-1).

 

Across the Bench

• BYU has gotten as strong of a start in 2021 as any team could ask for, entering the Panther Challenge 6-0, with only two sets lost in the six matches.
• The Cougars made it to the NCAA Tournament in Omaha in April and reached the Sweet 16.
• It was the eighth Sweet 16 appearance in the last nine seasons for the Cougars. BYU is currently ranked No. 12 by the AVCA entering the weekend.
• Its success is thanks in large part to the Cougars' defense, which enters the weekend fifth in the country in opponents hitting percentage at .086.
• BYU is also one of the top serving teams in the country with an aces per set mark of 2.25 to sit 10th in the nation.
• BYU's offense is led by Taylen Ballard-Nixon and Kenzie Koerber, each averaging 2.80 kills per set.
• Heather Gneiting enters the weekend as the top hitter in the country, leading the nation with a .603 hitting percentage.
• Madi Allen leads the Cougars' backline with an average of 3.70 digs per set while Kennedy Eschenberg anchors the defense at the net with an average of 1.15 digs per set.

 

Panther Notes

 

Last Time Out

High Point continued its 2021 season last weekend as it traveled to West Point, N.Y. to compete in the Black Knights Invitational, hosted by Army. The Panthers went 3-0, defeating Sacred Heart, Columbia, and Army to win the tournament. On Sunday (Sep. 5), High Point wrapped up the road trip in Connecticut, dropping a match 1-3 against Fairfield.
 

Dubs Only

HPU did not drop a set in the entirety of the Black Knights Invitational, winning all three matches in straight sets to capture the tournament title. The Panthers have now won four matches in straight sets this season after defeating Illinois State 3-0 earlier this season (Aug. 28) for the first win of the campaign.
 

A Knights' Honor

Sophomore Dylan Mayberry and senior Gabrielle Idlebird each earned spots on the All-Tournament team for their performances at the Black Knights Invitational. Mayberry ended the tournament with 30 kills over the three matches (3.3 K/S) and had a .325 hitting percentage while Idlebird finished with 25 kills and a .409 hitting percentage to go along with seven blocks.
 

Stout Competition

All three of High Point's opponents in this weekend's Panther Challenge made NCAA Tournament appearances a season ago. Tournament host Pitt made it to the Elite 8 before falling in five sets to Washington, BYU lost in the Sweet 16 to top-seeded Wisconsin in straight sets and Bowling Green fell in four sets to Weber State.
 

Looking at the Rankings

With Pitt and BYU ranked No. 4 and No. 12 by the AVCA, respectively, HPU is playing its first ranked opponent in the regular season since the Purple and White traveled to No. 2-ranked Nebraska in 2019. It's the first time the Panthers have played two ranked opponents in the same weekend since High Point played No. 2 Texas and No. 8 Wisconsin on the same day in 2018.
 

A Top-10 Opponent

Pitt is also the third-highest-ranked opponent HPU has faced behind the two No. 2 teams. Friday will be the seventh time the Panthers have played an opponent ranked in the top 10, a situation the Purple and Whtie have only won two sets in over the seven matches.
 

Power Play

The Panthers are scheduled to face two Power-5 teams this season in Pitt and South Carolina. HPU entered the season 7-36 against teams in a Power-5 conference, with the last win coming against Georgia in 2017 on the same day that the Purple and White also beat Oklahoma in straight sets.
 

Have We Met Before?

High Point and Bowling Green have met once before in the schools' history, exactly 17 years ago to the day on September 11, 2004. The Panthers dropped the match 1-3 in the West Virginia Invitational. High Point and Pittsburgh have also met just once, HPU again falling 1-3 in the 2018 edition of the Pitt Invitational. This weekend's matchup with BYU will be the first in program history. 
 

Let Me Help You With That

Led by the setters combo of junior Maria Miggins and senior Mackenzi Thornburg, High Point currently ranks seventh nationally in team assists (326) and 19th nationally in assists per set (13.04).
 

20-20 Vision

Freshman outside hitter Sydney Palazzolo was on fire in this season's early victory over VCU (Aug. 29), recording 21 kills and 21 digs in the win while hitting .381. It was HPU's first 20-20 performance since Big South All-Decade Team member Haley Barnes did so on Sept. 12, 2015.
 

Two on the All-Tournament Team…

Palazzolo and fellow freshman Jenny Wessling were each named to the All-Tournament Team at the JMU Invitational in the first weekend of the regular season. Palazzolo finished the weekend with an average of 4.71 kills per set - more than 1.0 K/S better than the next-best player among the four teams while Wessling led the field with an average of 4.75 digs per set.
 

...And in the Big South Weekly Awards

The freshman duo was also recognized by the Big South for their efforts on opening weekend, with Palazzolo named Player of the Week and Wessling picking up Freshman of the Week honors. Palazzolo became the first freshman named Player of the Week in the Big South since former Panther Annie Sullivan did so on Sept. 16, 2019.
 

Road Warriors

Including the exhibition match at UNC, High Point will begin its 2021 season with 18 matches away from home, including the entirety of its non-conference schedule. HPU doesn't play in front of the Millis Faithful until Oct. 8, against Campbell, the first of eight home matches on the schedule.
 

Iron Sharpens Iron

The 13 teams the Purple and White will face in non-conference action have combined for 13 NCAA Tournament appearances in the last two years with five teams (Army, Bowling Green, BYU, Illinois State, Pitt) joining HPU in last year's 48-team field in Omaha. The Panthers' non-conference opponents combined for a 148-54 record (.733 winning percentage) during the 2020-21 campaign, with only the Ivy League's Columbia not competing at all during the year.
 

Feels Like the First Time

Columbia is one of five new opponents HPU will face for the first time in 2021. Along with the Lions, High Point will take the court for the first time against Army, BYU, Fairfield, and Illinois State.
 

Picked #1 (Again)

High Point was predicted to win the Big South again this season, making it six years in a row the Panthers have been predicted to finish atop the conference. HPU garnered 119 points and 10 of the 11 possible first-place votes. The Purple and White's 14-point clearance over second-place Campbell in the poll is the largest point discrepancy between the top two spots since former Big South member Liberty finished 21 points ahead of Radford in the 2012 preseason poll.
 

Preseason Honors

Two Panthers were named to the Big South Preseason All-Conference Team, highlighted by Preseason Player of the Year Madison Smith. Smith is the lone returning First Team All-Conference selection HPU had in 2020 and finished second on the team in kills with 172 for an average of 2.97 per set. Joining her on the Preseason All-Conference Team is Gabrielle Idlebird after finishing second on the Purple and White in hitting percentage with a .384 clip that put her 30th in the country.
 

Newcomers

HPU brought in five new players for the 2021 season with four freshmen and one transfer. Mayberry switched out one shade of purple for another after transferring in from LSU while Claire Arend, Jacie Joyce, Sydney Palazzolo, and Jenny Wessling join the team as freshmen.
 
 

UP NEXT

High Point plays its first matches in the Carolinas next weekend with a pair of contests at Furman before heading to Columbia for a clash with the Gamecocks. The Panthers are scheduled to play Kennesaw State and Furman in Greenville on Friday (Sept. 17) and then will face current No. 24-ranked South Carolina on Saturday (Sept. 18) in the final non-conference match of the regular season.