HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University volleyball team hosted its Pink Out game on Saturday afternoon at the Millis Center, welcoming Presbyterian College to High Point for a Big South bout. The Panthers defeated the Blue Hose 3-1.
 
Four Panthers registered double-digit kills, led by Élodie Lalonde with 16, Ryley Boyne with 14, Maya Bukovcan with 12 and Addison Freeland with 10. The four helped contribute to HPU's .243 hitting percentage as a team.
 
"It wasn't the prettiest win, but we found a way to come out on top" Head Coach Ryan Meek said. "We had different players step up at different times and we were able to piece enough together to come out with the victory."
 
Site: Millis Center
Score: High Point 3, Presbyterian 1
Records: High Point (7-8, 4-1), Presbyterian (4-13, 0-5)
 
How it Happened:
 
High Point was cruising in the opening set. The Panthers took an early 6-1 lead with Brooke Briscoe serving. Presbyterian woke up and closed it back to a one-point game at 8-7 before back-to-back kills from Bukovcan gave HPU the 10-7 lead. Remy Catojo made the connection with Bukovcan for both assists.
 
Following a 10-9 lead, the Panthers went on a 5-0 run that was sparked from a double block with Boyne and Bukovcan. With Sydney McKay on the serve during the run, she landed an ace that tipped over the net and helped HPU lead 15-9, forcing PC to call a timeout.
 
Presbyterian earned a point out of timeout, but High Point kept the momentum going on offense and scored three straight points including a Grace Killion ace to increase the Panthers lead by eight at 18-10.
 
High Point secured the first set victory by 10+ points, 25-14 with the help of kills from the top four attackers.
 
After the first set, the rest of the match saw closer action with less runs by either team. In set two, Presbyterian held a steady one-point lead over the Panthers. A kill on the outside from Brooke Jeffrey tied the set at 14 all. Presbyterian made its first run of the match with a four-point sequence to lead 18-14.
 
High Point made some substitutions after going down and Talia Lardner entered the match. While on the front line, she registered a kill to help the Panthers tie the set at 20 all. The set tied a second time at 21-21 but High Point was unable to take the lead and fell 25-21.
 
In set three, Presbyterian set out on a 3-0 lead early, carrying its momentum over from the second set. High Point got in system and took its first lead of the set at 7-6 with a Boyne kill, making it the team's first lead since the 4-3 mark in the second set. Boyne continued to put down hits on the outside and helped give the Panthers a 10-8 lead.
 
The Blue Hose went back up 11-10 but HPU took advantage of a Presbyterian service error and set out on a five-point run to make it 15-11. PC hung around and tied the set at 15 all. High Point did not fold, held on to the lead and took set two, 25-21.
 
High Point continued to swing big and put down powerful kills in the fourth set. After trailing early, 6-4 to the Blue Hose, Boyne paved the way for the Panthers take back the lead. Presbyterian committed three back-to-back errors on offense and gave High Point the 8-6 advantage.
 
A set from Allie Gray to Lalonde made it 11-9. Presbyterian strung together two kills and a block to go up 12-11. The set tired three times before PC took a 17-15 lead. After a much-needed run for the Panthers, High Point took back the lead with a 4-0 run to make it 19-17.
 
In the final 14 points of the game, fans witnessed six ties and two lead changes. A kill from Lalonde gave HPU a 24-23 lead with a possible game point in sight. Presbyterian answered and sent the set into extra points. Two back-to-back blocks from the middle secured the win for High Point, 26-24.
 
Extra Stats:

• High Point led in all categories on the stat sheet with the biggest margin in service aces, registering eight to Presbyterian's four.
• Briscoe, Bukovcan and McKay each served in a pair of aces during the match.
• Freeland registered a career-high eight blocks with seven block assists and one solo block.

 
UP NEXT:
High Point travels to UNC Asheville on Friday, October 17 for a matchup at 6:00 p.m. Follow along with live updates on X (@HPUVB).