WEST POINT, N.Y. – The High Point University volleyball team traveled to New York to play in the Panthers second invitational of the season. Opening the weekend against Liberty University, HPU started the Army Invitational off with a tough, five set battle with the Flames.
Dylan Maberry tagged her third game of the season with 20+ kills, hitting for a .260 percentage.
Christine Graf came in on the right side adding 12 kills while
Eve Wilson led the team with six blocks.
Site: Gillis Field House
Score: High Point 2, Liberty 3
Records: High Point (1-3), Liberty (4-0)
In the first set of the match, the teams bounced back and forth with taking the lead before tying the game at 15 all. From there, the Flames maintained their lead through the final 10 points.
Set two witnessed a troubling start for the Panthers, going down 6-0 after allowing Liberty to land three service aces in a row. Sixteen plays later, High Point returned the favor, knocking in five service aces from
Allie Gray to take a 14-13 lead and force an LU timeout. HPU rattled the Flames and went on to take the set 25-17.
Holding on to the momentum, the Panthers entered set three with a dominant presence across the entire attack. Kills from
BayLea Sparks, Jayde Shelton, Maberry and Wilson advanced High Point to a 10-2 lead. Liberty cut the game to two at 19-17 but the Panthers persevered and took set three 25-20 with the help of three kills at the end from Graf.
The teams took set four down to the wire, going extra points in the end. Hits from Maberry tied the set twice at 22-22 and 23-23 but a kill from the Flames and an HPU error gave Liberty the 26-24 win to force a fifth set.
The fifth set was nothing less of the first four as both teams gave it everything they had. With the game tied at eight all midway through the set, High Point called a timeout after going down one to limit the Flames from extending on a lead. Multiple mistakes from the Panthers hurt the teams chance of taking back the lead which resulted in the 15-12 loss.
UP NEXT
High Point returns to action at West Point with a match against Yale on Friday, September 1 at 3:30 pm in the afternoon.
#GoHPU
