SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The High Point University volleyball team continued its road weekend with a match at USC Upstate. Élodie Lalonde carried the Panthers offense with a career-high 26 kills to take the match 3-1 over the Spartans.
 
"I thought we came out with the right mindset and focus and played great for a set," Head Coach Ryan Meek said. "I thought Upstate settled in and made things difficult for us and we didn't respond well to that. Winning is hard, especially on the road, and we got out of a difficult road trip 2-0. We'll take it, learn and move on to another tough weekend next weekend."
 
Site: G.B. Hodge Center
Score: High Point 3, USC Upstate 1
Records: High Point (9-8, 6-1), USC Upstate (11-9, 4-3)
 
How it Happened:

High Point opened set one rolling. Leading 8-6, a 6-0 run pushed HPU's lead up to 14-6. The run was fueled with Sydney McKay on the serve, who registered two back-to-back aces. Freeland dominated in the middle and Lalonde put down a power hit on the outside.
 
The Panthers continued to push the tempo and registered their 20th point quickly to lead 20-11. A Gabby Hill kill made it 22-13 and USC Upstate followed with a 4-0 late run to close the gap to five points at 22-17.
 
High Point finished out the set with kills from Hill and Freeland along with McKay's third service ace of the set to win 25-17.
 
In set two, the Panthers fell behind through the first half of the set and trailed 14-9. USC Upstate hit a rough patch on the attack which allowed the Panthers to take advantage and tie the game at 16 all.
 
High Point continued to trail and went down 22-19 before tying to game again at 22 all. The set went into a back-and-forth battle that resulted in going into extra points. A Lalonde kill tied the set at 24-24 and a Brooke Briscoe service ace gave the Panthers the 25-24 edge. The Spartans tied it at 25s but High Point prevailed and took set two, 27-25.
 
After taking the first two sets on the Spartans, USC Upstate bounced back in the third set, making it hard for the Panthers to take a strong lead. A Briscoe service ace gave HPU a 3-2 lead and from that point on the Panthers trailed the Spartans for the remainder of the set and fell 25-21.
 
The fourth set witnessed good volleyball from both teams. High Point held the lead early before USC Upstate tied it at seven all and went up 9-8. Lalonde hammered down back-to-back kills to give HPU a 12-10 advantage.
 
USC Upstate took the lead back at 15-14 but the Panthers flipped the script with Lalonde and Hill on the outside. A 5-0 swing for High Point gave HPU a 19-15 lead. The Spartans kept it interesting and chipped away at the four-point lead to tie the set at 23 all.
 
The set was sent into extra points with kills from each team to tie the game again at 24 all. USC Upstate scored on the next rally and went up 25-24. Big time hits from Maya Bukovcan and Remy Catojo put the Panthers back on top 26-25. Feeling some pressure, High Point sent a serve into the net, giving the Spartans a point and the serve back.
 
High Point secured the final two points of the set with a double block from Bukovcan and Hill and an attack error out of bounds from USC Upstate. HPU won the set 28-26 to take home the 3-1 match victory.
 
Extra Stats:

• Lalonde was three kills shy from matching former teammate Dylan Maberry's program record with 29 kills in a single-game.
• Freshman Hill put down a season-high 14 kills.
• McKay improved her service ace record from the previous game by one with a game-high four aces.
• Five Panthers recorded double digit digs with Whillock leading with 17.
• Catojo had 41 assists, combining for 81 on the weekend.
• The Panthers went 2-0 on the road over the weekend.

 
UP NEXT:
High Point will travel to Gardner-Webb on Friday, October 24 for another conference road matchup at 6:00 p.m. Follow along with live updates on X (@HPUVB).