HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University volleyball team welcomed the Davidson Wildcats to the Millis Center on Sunday afternoon for the final game of the High Point Invitational. Keeping the five-game win streak alive, the Panthers ceased the Wildcats seven game winning streak with a 3-1 victory.
HPU was rolling on all positions, especially from the outside and right-side attacks. The front row and back row brought the heat, putting down 58 kills to the Wildcats 49 and preventing 16 hits from Davidson with 16 blocks. High Point hit .232 as a team, led by
Dylan Maberry with 20 and
Jayde Shelton with 13, for a new season best. Shelton hit for a team-high .455.
BayLea Sparks led the team in blocks with 10, posting a new career high.
"I'm really proud of our team," head coach
Ryan Meek stated. "The reason our preseason has been as tough as it is, is because I want our team to struggle and figure it out. We're a brand new team so the more we can put them in situations of stress the better, so we can stress test stuff and find things. One of the coolest things about this season has been watching this team grow. We're recovering, we're getting better and we're figuring out how to play together."
Site: Millis Center
Score: High Point 3, Davidson 1
Records: High Point (6-3), Davidson (7-1)
After starting the first set on a hot note, the Wildcats quickly closed the Panthers 15-10 lead. Hitting a rough patch for High Point, Davidson tied the set at 22 all before securing the final three points in a row to take the first set.
Keeping composer, High Point returned to the floor with the same electric energy they opened with and held on to the lead throughout the set following the first point. Shelton really picked up on her attack and block in the second set scoring four of her 13 kills and two of her five blocks.
Leveling the playing field in set two (1-1), the Panthers hit some bumps in the road in set three. Mid-way through, High Point went down 18-13 but taking it one play at a time, big hits from multiple Panthers helped work it back to 22-21. A 9-3 run to take the lead was led by Maberry and Shelton.
Eve Wilson finished the set off with a kill from the middle and take the set advantage (2-1).
Set four was a block party for the Panthers. Led by Sparks, a stretch of six blocks, including four in a row extended High Points lead to 16-10. The Wildcats made moves and tried to force a fifth set with a five-point rally to make it 22-20 HPU, but gaining back control, High Point closed out the final three points.
"I told BayLea in the fourth set, this is the best you have ever played for us," coach Meek commented. "I think she's still figuring things out with seeing different things across the net and reacting to it, but she was awesome today. Davidson tried to run a middle hit and she just got up and roofed it and I compared her to a nose tackle in football. You're not running up the middle with her. She was incredible today and when she plays like that, she's going to be a huge force for us."
UP NEXT
The Panthers hit the runway for the Diet Coke Invitational, hosted by Minnesota. The games begin on Thursday, September 14 against the Gophers at 8:00 pm.
#GoHPU
