ROCK HILL, S.C. – The High Point University volleyball team traveled to Rock Hill, South Carolina on Saturday afternoon for a matchup with Big South Conference rival Winthrop University. After a long first set rally into extra points and four competitive sets, the Panthers fell to the Eagles, 3-1.
Site: Winthrop Coliseum
Score: High Point 1, Winthrop 3
Records: High Point (10-9, 7-2), Winthrop (13-6, 7-2)
How it Happened:
For the second consecutive game, Élodie Lalonde led the team with 20 kills followed by
Gabby Hill with 14 and
Addison Freeland with 13.
Remy Catojo racked up 52 assists to match her season high.
The opening set of the day was electric. It was a back-and-forth battle through extra points as neither team could gain a large lead. Winthrop started out with a 6-2 lead. High Point tied it up at seven all with a
Maya Bukovcan middle kill.
The set tied again at 12 all with another kill from the middle, this time from Freeland. The Panthers continued to trail the Eagles slightly by a point or two until reaching the 20-point mark. A four-point swing by HPU, led by Hill with two kills gave the Panthers a 24-22 lead.
With the match point in sight for High Point, Winthrop answered with a kill and a block to tie the set at 24s. Hill gave the Panthers a 25-24 advantage, but the Eagles again answered with two straight points to go up one.
This exchange continued through 23 points. Winthrop had nine opportunities to seal the game and HPU answered every time. Tied at 36 all, Lalonde put down a kill followed by a Freeland block to take the first set 38-36.
This was the second most points scored in a single-match set this season in NCAA play. The 38 points scored in a single set tied the program record which was set back in 2005 at Liberty.
After an exciting, competitive first set both teams continued to battle. The next three sets for HPU were all similar as the Panthers kept the games close but could not gain the edge at the end. High Point fell 25-23 in set two, 25-22 in set three and 25-18 in the final set of the day.
Extra Stats:
- The Panthers hit .237 as a team and Winthrop hit .251.
- The stat sheet had even stats between both teams in multiple categories including kills (HPU 66, WU 69), assists (HPU 61, WU 58), and digs (HPU 69, WU 67).
- Brooke Briscoe led the match with a career-high 18 digs.
- Bukovcan posted five blocks.
UP NEXT:
High Point will welcome the College of Charleston to the Millis Center for a mid-week non-conference matchup at 6:00 p.m. Follow along with live updates on X (@HPUVB).
#GoHPU
