HIGH POINT, N.C. — The High Point University volleyball team competed against Presbyterian in the semifinals of the 2023 Big South Volleyball Tournament on Saturday afternoon inside the Millis Center. In a battle with the No. 1 and No. 4 seeds, HPU took the match 3-0.
"I though Presbyterian played great, they dug a lot of balls, they made it tough on us before," head coach
Ryan Meek stated. I thought we had to play tough, and I think we did that. They challenged us to go maybe a little bit beyond what we had expected. I think they did a really great job, and I was really proud how our girls responded. We crushed them in the first set, but in the second set we were down 19-17 and we just kind of settled in and came back and won the set. I think it would have been easy for our girls to go, 'all right we'll just go to set three,' but we didn't, we went in and won the set. I don't know if we were great all night, but we were great when we needed it."
Site: Millis Center
Score: High Point 3, Presbyterian 0
Records: High Point (21-6, 15-0), Presbyterian College (9-16, 7-7)
High Point struggled at the start of the first set, exchanging points with Presbyterian College and tying the game at six all before finding their groove when
Christine Graf kick started an 8-0 run with a strong kill. Graf took two more kills during the run, assisting High Point to a 14-6 lead over Presbyterian.
High Point continued to fly through the set, keeping the Blue Hose at arms' length.
Eve Wilson slammed the ball down to put the Panthers two points away from taking the set. After an attack error from Presbyterian, Graf hit the ball home to end the set, 25-14.
The second set was a nailbiter with the score tying up seven times. The Blue Hose and the Panthers exchanged kills early in the second, tying the game at nine all before
BayLea Sparks took a kill to start a 4-0 run.
Presbyterian crawled its way back to tie the game at 15-15 and again at 16-16 before taking a brief lead. A Sparks kill and an ace from
Regina Tijerina put the Panthers back in the lead before a Blue Hose attack error ended the set, 25-22.
HPU started strong in the third, taking a 3-0 run right out the gate. Presbyterian responded with two points of its own before a nearly minute long rally ended with a Graf kill. High Point and PC continued to exchange points, but HPU refused to give up its lead.
Dylan Maberry kick started a short 4-0 run to push High Point to 23 points, two points away from victory. A service error from the Blue Hose put the Panthers within one until Wilson hit the ball off Presbyterian's block to end the game, securing the Panthers' victory, 25-20. The 3-0 win allowed the team to advance to the Big South Championship Finals which will take place on Sunday, November 19.
The Panthers will look to repeat as the Big South Tournament Champs.
UP NEXT:
High Point will face Winthrop in the championship game on Sunday, November 19 at 4:00pm at the Millis Center.
