ROCK HILL, S.C. – It was a quick outing for the High Point University volleyball team on Friday night. Picking up the teams third sweep of the season, HPU brought home a 3-0 victory over the Eagles of Winthrop.
"I thought tonight was a great team effort," head coach
Ryan Meek commented after the game. "We hit efficiently and our floor defense was great. Everyone who touched the court contributed. Now we need to regroup and be ready for Gardner-Webb tomorrow."
Site: Winthrop Coliseum
Score: High Point 3, Winthrop 0
Records: High Point (8-6, 2-0), Winthrop (2-11, 1-1)
A trio of Panthers dominated the game. Combining for 35 of the teams 52 kills,
Christine Graf and
Dylan Maberry both hit over .300 on the night.
BayLea Sparks added quality hits, going 8-for-10 for her second game in a row with eight kills and an .800 hit percentage.
Set one started close, but after reaching the Panthers 15th point, an 8-0 run stretched the game to 23-15. Graf initiated the run for HPU with a solo kill before ending the run with three straight kills from the outside. Sparks and Maberry tag teamed the final two points to win set one 25-15.
The second set was much like the first, but a steady climb created an early 18-10 lead. After a 22-14 lead, the Eagles strung together three hits to try to close the gap, but the Panthers were able to seal the deal for a 25-18 win.
High Point came out relaxed in the third set, allowing Winthrop to take a 10-6 advantage, the Eagles biggest lead of the match. The turning point for the Panthers happened after a kill and block from
Eve Wilson. The 5-1 run tied the game at 15 all. From that moment High Point decided to take care of business even after Winthrop tried to pause the Panthers momentum at the 24-19 mark. The Eagles three straight points cut the game to 24-22 but Maberry ended it with a power hit from the outside.
UP NEXT:
The Panthers turnaround and travel to Gardner-Webb Saturday, September 30, for a 4:00pm matchup with the Runnin' Bulldogs..
#GoHPU
