The High Point University volleyball team travels to Georgia on Friday to play in the Kennesaw State Tournament. After two matches on Friday, the Panthers will travel to face ranked opponents in Wisconsin to face the No. 6 Badgers and No. 24 Marquette. Both Sunday matches will be streamed on Big Ten+.
 

WITH AUTHORITY ?? @dylan_maberry up to 5 kills in this set!! Tied at 17#GoHPU pic.twitter.com/5JJp2J5ThR

— HPU Volleyball (@HPUVB) August 27, 2022

 
Game Information – Kennesaw State Tournament
High Point vs. Furman
Friday, September 2^nd | 1:00 PM
Live Stats
 
High Point at Kennesaw State
Saturday, August 27^th | 7:00 PM
Watch | Live Stats
 
Game Information – High Point at Wisconsin
UW Field House | Madison, Wis. | 2:00 PM
Watch | Live Stats
 
Game Information – High Point vs. Marquette
UW Field House | Madison, Wis. | 7:00 PM
Watch | Live Stats
 

PSA: do not leave @sydpal2 1v1#GoHPU pic.twitter.com/fGacgTX3zI

— HPU Volleyball (@HPUVB) August 27, 2022

Last Season with the Panthers
High Point finished a 24-7 campaign in 2021 where the Big South Regular Season Champions ran through the league with a 15-1 record. The Panthers fell in the Big South Tournament Championship in a five-set heartbreaker to Campbell.
 
Last Time Out
High Point went 3-0 at the VCU Invitational last weekend, picking up wins over VCU, Elon, and Liberty. The Panthers swept the Rams and won 3-1 matches over the Phoenix and the Flames. Sydney Palazzolo posted 55 kills (5.0 kills/set) over the three matches and Maria Miggins dished out 74 assists. Jenny Wessling led the backcourt with 53 digs while Gabrielle Idlebird stuffed 15 balls at the net.
 

THAT'S A WIN.

…and we're 3-0 ??#GoHPU pic.twitter.com/kYyL2bnJ7z

— HPU Volleyball (@HPUVB) August 28, 2022

 
About the Paladins
Furman is 1-2 on the season, posting a 3-1 win over Norfolk State and dropping matches to ECU and Towson. Ava Augustson and Lauren Haynes lead the Paladins with 31 kills apiece this season. Augustson is hitting at a .233 clip while Haynes posts a .159 attacking percentage. Head coach Michelle Young is entering her 23^rd season at Furman as the winningest coach in Paladin volleyball history.
 
About the Owls
KSU is 2-1 after participating in the Wake Forest Invitational, posting wins over Western Carolina and NC Central. The Owls took a set off the Demon Deacons, but fell 3-1 in the final match. Jasmine Brown leads KSU with 25 kills through three matches and is terminating at a .432 clip. Head coach Keith Schunzel is in his 10^th season at the helm of Owl volleyball.
 
About the Badgers
After winning the National Championship a season ago, Wisconsin enters Sunday's match at No. 6 in the latest AVCA poll. The Badgers are 1-1 in the regular season, sweepng TCU in Fort Worth before falling to No. 16 Baylor in five sets. Sarah Franklin has posted 34 kills in two matches while Wisconsin has three players who are terminating above .300 (min. 10 kills). Head coach Kelly Sheffield enters his 10^th year with the Badgers following last year's National Championship. He has also led Wisconsin to the NCAA Final Four four times (2013, 2019, 2020, 2021) with four Big Ten Championships (2014, 2019, 2020, 2021).
 
About the Golden Eagles
No. 24 Marquette is out to a hot start with two wins, including a five-set thriller over No. 11 Kentucky. Aubrey Hamilton leads the Golden Eagles in kills (24) through two matches Carsen Murray is hitting .438 with 18 kills. Head coach Ryan Theis is in his ninth year with Marquette in 2022 and is in the top-15 among active NCAA Division I head coaches in winning percentage (.736).
 
Palazzolo, Wessling Take First Weekly Conference Awards
Sophomores Sydney Palazzolo and Jenny Wessling earned Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors from the Big South Conference on Monday. Palazzolo finished the week with 55 kills (5.0 kps), 37 digs, three blocks, and two service aces while Wessling posted 53 digs and three service aces.
 

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53 digs and 3-0 in opening weekend for @jenny_wessling ?? pic.twitter.com/LEy4NwuAlE

— HPU Volleyball (@HPUVB) August 29, 2022

 

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55 kills, 37 digs, and she's just getting started ?? @sydpal2 pic.twitter.com/oBA3JoGlHo

— HPU Volleyball (@HPUVB) August 29, 2022

Four Panthers Recognized on Preseason Team
With the Big South's preseason coaches' poll also came preseason all-conference honors. Dylan Maberry, Maria Miggins, Gabrielle Idlebird, and Sydney Palazzolo were recognized on the preseason team while Maberry was named the conference's Preseason Player of the Year and Miggins earned the Preseason Setter of the Year nod.
 
HPU Selected as Unanimous Preseason Favorite
High Point received nine first-place votes to sweep the Big South's Preseason Coaches' poll. The Panthers return five all-conference members from 2021 in Dylan Maberry (Player of the Year), Maria Miggins (Setter of the Year), Jenny Wessling (Defensive Player of the Year), Sydney Palazzolo (Freshman of the Year), and Gabrielle Idlebird.
 
New Season, New Faces
The 2022 HPU roster features nine new members with four transfers and five freshmen. Ally Van Eekeren (Creighton), Kathryn Wesolich (UCF), Jillian Ziemba (Butler), and Elaina Bohnet (Iowa Western CC) all transferred in beginning last January, while BayLea Sparks, Anna Wilson, Ella Grasson, Hannah Hawkins, and Amelia Kowalska round out the 2022 freshman class.