HARRISONBURG, Va. – The High Point University volleyball team participated in the annual James Madison Invitational on Saturday. Taking on two teams in doubleheader action, the Panthers went 1-1 picking up a win over Western Michigan to start the day and later falling in five sets to James Madison.
High Point vs. Western Michigan
In the opening set of the day, the Panthers and Broncos played a long set, going extra points. Both teams battled and exchanged points throughout the set before HPU fell 31-29.
Bouncing back, the Panthers took care of business through the next three sets. Set two was close as both teams continued to battle back-and-forth. In the third and fourth sets, High Point gained some separation mid-way through the sets. Each set witnessed a 6-0 run to help secure the 3-1 victory in the end.
Kennedy Louisell and
Dylan Maberry led the Panthers on the outside attack with a combined 45 kills. Louisell had a career day with a team-high 23 kills with a .321 hit percentage while also adding two blocks.
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High Point led the match crushing it on the block by registering 15 to Western Michigan's two. HPU also secured 11 service aces to the Broncos seven. Helping the Panthers to 57 kills,
Hannah Hawkins was one set shy from matching her career-high in assists with 47.
High Point vs. James Madison
The final game of the day showed why High Point and James Madison are two top mid-major programs in the country. Taking the sets to five, both teams matched up evenly across the statistic board. High Point had a slight edge in four of the six categories including points, kills, assists and digs. The last three points of the fifth set was the final determinant of the match.
High Point came out strong in the opening set, taking a 19-12 lead. After taking set one, the Dukes got going in the second set and pushed on a 14-4 run early which made it hard for the Panthers to close the gap.
Washing off the second set, HPU regrouped and answered with a 6-0 run early in the third set.
Arica Davis was dominating in the middle, registering a big -ime kill and a big-time block to help build momentum. After leading 10-5, JMU made a run of their own and took a 12-10 lead.
High Point tied the set at 22 all but a service ace and kill from the Dukes gave JMU the 2-1 set lead.
Firing back in the fourth set, the Panthers advanced to a five and six-point lead on two occasions. After leading 18-11, JMU chipped away and cut the set to 19-17. The Dukes put the pressure on the Panthers after an HPU attack error made it a one-point difference at 21-20.
A highlight from the set was Maberry's diving back row play to help High Point earn the 23rd point of the set. Tracking down the ball from a hard hit off teammate
Jordyn Schilling, Maberry lifted the ball back into play with one hand while falling into the bench. A double-block from
Eve Wilson and
BayLea Sparks secured the point. Louisell followed up with back-to-back kills to earn the 25-21 set win and even the sets to 2-2.
The Panthers kept the momentum going into the fifth set and advanced on a 6-1 lead. Securing points from the Dukes mistakes and a kill from Maberry, High Point led 10-7. A 4-0 run from JMU gave the Dukes their first lead of the set at 11-10 but a kill from Louisell tied the set at 11 all.
High Point scored one more point with a double block from Davis and Wilson but was unable to stop the home team's last run. JMU took the set 15-12 and the match 3-2.
Up Next:
High Point hits the road for another weekend tournament at the UMBC/Howard Tournament in Washington, D.C. The invitational begins on Friday night with a matchup against UMBC at 5:00 pm.
#GoHPU
