CHARLESTON, S.C. – In three quick sets, the High Point University volleyball team beat Charleston Southern University on the road on Friday night. The 3-0 sweep extended HPU's undefeated start in Big South Conference play to 6-0.
High Point was led by Élodie Lalonde as the lone Panther in double figures with 12 kills on a .333 hitting percentage.
Maya Bukovcan and
Gabby Hill followed up with seven kills a piece.
Remy Catojo handed out 31 assists while
Kea Whillock contributed 10 digs.
Site: CSU Fieldhouse
Score: High Point 3, Charleston Southern 0
Record: High Point (12-5, 6-0 Big South), Charleston Southern (9-10, 1-5 Big South)
"Charleston Southern has been a tough place for us to play some over the years but we took care of business quick tonight," Head Coach
Ryan Meek stated. "I thought we did a good job riding some waves of inconsistency and
Sydney McKay has some big serving moments at the end of set one when it was in doubt. After that we rode leads through much of the match to a three set win."
In set one, High Point took a lead and held on to it throughout the set.
Addison Freeland and Catojo tag teamed a double block to give the Panthers a 9-5 advantage.
Talia Lardner put down a kill on the right side followed by a Lalonde kill on the outside. Bukovcan served in an ace to secure the media timeout and lead 15-11.
CSU tied the set at 19 all but High Point picked up three straight points to go back up 22-19. In the final points, Bukovcan knocked in a kill and Lalonde sent over an ace to take set one 25-20.
Set two witnessed back-and-forth action between both teams. Freeland tied the set at six all with a kill in the middle. Lalonde sparked a 4-0 run for HPU to extend its lead to 11-7. Bukovcan secured the Panthers 15th point and started another 4-0 run to press on to an 18-10 lead. Hill punched in a kill to make it 20-14. HPU won the set 25-19.
Lardner opened set three with an immediate kill and a solo block. After leading 5-4, the Panthers exploded to a 10-4 lead after hammering down four straight kills including back-to-back kills from Freeland. The momentum continued as High Point went up 13-5 with a Lardner kill.
The Panthers held on to a 5-6 point steady lead through the second half of the set. Hill and Bukovcan picked up solo blocks to make it 21-14. High Point finished out the set with a 25-17 win and a 3-0 sweep.
UP NEXT: High Point will remain on the road and travel to Presbyterian College on Saturday, October 17 for a matchup at 2:00 p.m.
#GoHPU
