HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University Panthers hosted its third straight home game on Tuesday evening, making up the postponed match from September 27 due to the effects of Hurricane Helene. HPU picked up its ninth sweep of the season after a dominant performance against the Highlanders of Radford University.
Throughout all three sets, the Panthers played a complete game with the help of a balanced offense.
Kennedy Louisell led the night for the second game in a row with nine kills on a .500 hitting percentage.
Dylan Maberry was right behind Louisell with eight kills and a team leading three service aces. Maberry surpassed her 1500
th career kill since coming to High Point in the fall of 2021.
Eve Wilson finished with five kills after a strong start in the first set. Both teams battled back-and-forth through the first half of the set. After tying the set at 12 all, the Panthers went on a 4-0 run with the help of Louisell's two service aces. The Highlanders stayed in the set trailing 20-17 but a 5-2 run closed out set one for the Panthers with a 25-19 victory.
The second set witnessed High Point turn up the heat. After leading through the entire set, a kill from Maberry sparked a 9-0 run to lead 22-10 with a service ace from
Kea Whillock. The large lead allowed some rookies to enter the game as
Addison Freeland registered a kill on the right side. Louisell tagged the final point of the set to win 25-13.
A key factor throughout the set was the Panthers' serve and pass, which has been constant over the last few games. On the back row
Jordyn Schilling did a nice job of setting up her offense by placing balls in the setters' hands and diving after tough shots.
High Point remained steady in set three. The Panthers stretched on two 4-0 runs during the set, leading to a 10-point advantage at 24-14.
Arica Davis crushed one in the middle to help HPU earn the 3-0 sweep.
As a team High Point led in almost every stat category, overpowering Radford in aces and blocks by leading 8-1 in both categories.
BayLea Sparks led the team on the block with six while adding four kills.
Up Next:
High Point remains at home this weekend with a matchup on Friday against Winthrop University at 6:00 p.m. inside the Millis Center.
#GoHPU
