HIGH POINT, N.C. – On Saturday afternoon, the High Point University volleyball team played its fourth Big South conference game of the season against UNC Asheville. After moving the game to a neutral site at USC Upstate due to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Asheville, N.C. the Panthers and Bulldogs battled in four sets with HPU taking the game 3-1.
 
"I thought we finished a hard week with a win," Head Coach Ryan Meek stated. "We showed up and expected to win without putting what we needed to into it and Asheville took advantage of it.
 
I thought as the match went on, we found some answers offensively and defensively and were able to win the match. We have the fight, we have the grit, we just need to show those traits at the start of matches instead of waiting for things to break down."
 
After a slow start in set one, the Panthers got the offense going in the last three sets. Eve Wilson posted the best hitting day after going 10-for-16 for a .563 hitting percentage. Dylan Maberry led the day in kills with 22 while Kennedy Louisell also tagged double-digit kills with 13.
 
In the second set, High Point went down 10-2 before turning it around and sparking on a 5-1 run to bring the Panthers back within four points. A kill from Élodie Lalonde tied the set at 13 all. HPU took the lead and never lost sight of it, pressing on for the 25-20 win to even the sets at 1-1.
 
High Point carried its momentum into the third set and stretched on an early 9-3 lead with the help from the outside and middles. Sparks and Maberry each put down two kills apiece during that stretch.
 
Wilson joined in on the action and found her groove on the outside, knocking down three straight kills to give High Point a 10-point lead at 16-6. Louisell then took over on the outside and helped the Panthers make it 19-11. HPU had created enough cushion for UNC Asheville's four point run late in the set as Wilson finished it with a kill at 25-18.
 
The Panthers kept the heat on in the fourth set with a 4-0 start. UNC Asheville closed the gap to two at 13-11 but High Point kept dominating and extended the lead to seven at 19-12. Maberry closed out the match with three straight kills to earn the final three points for the 25-15 win.
 
Overall High Point hit .232 as a team, produced six service aces and totaled 18 blocks. Hannah Hawkins led the game on the assists with 34 while Jordyn Schilling contributed 22 digs.
 
Up Next:
High Point remains on the road next weekend traveling to Boiling Springs, N.C. to play at Gardner-Webb at 6:00 p.m. on October 18.