VILLANOVA, Pa. – The High Point University volleyball team faced Villanova University in the final of the Villanova Classic on Sunday afternoon. This was the first meeting between the two teams since the 2018 season as the Panther were only able to pick up a solo set victory against the Wildcats. Villanova took the match 3-1.
 
For the second consecutive game, outside hitter Élodie Lalonde posted a new career-high in kills with 21 on the day with a .347 hitting percentage. In the match prior, the sophomore eclipsed 15 kills.
 
Following this weekend's tournament, Gia Padilla and Kea Whillock made the Villanova Classic All-Tournament team. Padilla totaled 46 kills to average 3.29 kills per set for a .221 hit percentage after having a career night on Saturday with 21 kills. Padilla also held a .975 service reception percentage and picked up 23 digs. Whillock was HPU's libero for the weekend and totaled 45 digs with a .950 reception percentage.
 
Site:  Jake Nevin Field house
Score: High Point 1, Villanova 3
Records: High Point (2-3), Villanova (5-0
 
How it Happened:
 
With it being early in the season High Point has been rotating different players to try and solidify a solid lineup. In each match at the Villanova Classic, the Panthers have had a new starting lineup as Head Coach Ryan Meek has been working to figure out who operates the best together for his system.
 
The match opened with a back-and-forth tempo as HPU tied it at six all with a double block from the two Canadians, Remy Catojo and Maya Bukovcan. After trailing 10-9, High Point struggled with Villanova's tips around the net, causing the team to scramble and get out of system on offense. The Wildcats did a good job of finding the open gaps on their hits while knowing when to take soft shots and advance on a 15-9 lead.
 
Gia Padilla sent a kill over to break Villanova's run but the Wildcats progressed to an 18-11 lead. The Panthers did not have an answer for the Wildcats and fell 25-15 in set one.
 
In set two, High Point regrouped and improved on its passing. Fans witnessed another close start for both teams as the Panthers took a 9-8 lead early from Jasmine Oduro's first collegiate kill in her freshman debut.
 
HPU held the lead with kills from Brooke Jeffrey on the right side and Addison Freeland from the middle. Padilla tied the set twice, first at 12 all and again at 14 all to keep the game interesting.
 
Villanova made a small run and gained separation to go up 18-14. High Point answered back and made it a two-point game after Catojo found Padilla on the outside for a strong kill to trail 20-18.
 
After going down 24-21, High Point made strides and tied the set at 24 all with a double block from Oduro and Jeffrey. A Lalonde kill tied the set again at 25 all but the Wildcats managed to put down a kill and block of their own to take set two, 27-25.
 
High Point showed control in set three. The Panthers took a 7-3 lead with a sneaky reverse tip from the middle with a perfect pass from Padilla.
 
HPU's 7-0 run, led by Bukovcan and Padilla, midway through the set gave the Panthers a 16-8 lead. High Point held on to the eight-point lead with a kill from Lalonde to go up 20-12 on the Wildcats. Villanova got back within five points, but the Panthers pressed on and won set three 25-19.
 
In set four, High Point was forced to call a timeout early after going down 7-3. Lalonde helped the Panthers answer with two kills to reach 20 kills and keep HPU within three points of the Wildcats at 9-6.
 
From there Villanova trekked on a 7-2 run to go up 16-8. Ryley Boyne entered the game and immediately scored for the Panthers with an outside kill, but High Point did not have enough in the tank to make up the point differential before the end of the set. HPU scored five more points and fell 25-14.
 
Extra Stats:

• High Point put down 48 kills to Villanova's 65 kills.
• Padilla reached double-digit kills with 12 while adding seven digs and two blocks.
• Bukovcan led the game with five blocks, registering her fourth game with 5+ blocks this season.
• Kea Whillock and Catojo combined for 22 digs.

 
UP NEXT:
High Point will travel to Johnson City, Tennessee for the Buccaneer Classic presented by the Tri-Cities Airport. The two-day tournament will begin on Friday, September 12 with a matchup against Western Kentucky at 1:30 p.m. Follow along with live updates on X (@HPUVB).