Nacogdoches, Texas – After a weekend in Utah, High Point traveled south for a non-conference matchup at Stephen F. Austin for the first time in program history. Unlike the weekend, the Panthers were unable to get in their groove and fell to the Ladyjacks 3-0.
Through the first and second sets, HPU struggled to get the attack going. SFA put up a strong block that limited the Panthers from finding the open spots on the court. After a variety of substitutions from HPU, the Panthers seemed to figure out what clicked in the third set and had a shift in energy.
Two big factors in the third set were the right-side attack and the double block. Both
Eve Wilson and
Jayde Shelton found rhythm on the right side and started hammering down the line.
Arica Davis also posted up with the double block on either pin and contributed by helping alter SFA's hits for the HPU back line.
After tying the third set at seven all, High Point went on a 5-1 run with kills from
Dylan Maberry and Davis to make it 12-9, which was the Panthers largest lead of the match. The score tied two more times before the Ladyjacks took an 18-16 lead following a 5-0 run. A kill from
Kennedy Louisell gave HPU the 23-21 edge with a chance to keep the match going.
Three straight points from SFA put HPU down at 24-23 with the possible game point for the Ladyjacks within reach. A service error from SFA and a big time kill from Maberry quickly put the Panthers back on top at 25-24. Two strong attacks from SFA resulted in a momentum change on the Ladyjacks home court and a loss for the Panthers.
High Point was led by Maberry with 15 kills on a .205 hit percentage while Davis led on the block with four and added six kills.
Up Next:
High Point looks onward to host the annual High Point Invitational in Millis beginning on Friday, September 6 at 6:00 pm with a matchup against Ohio University. After a break on Saturday, HPU will play Mercer University on Sunday, September 8 at 1:00 p.m.
#GoHPU
