High Point, N.C. – The High Point University Panthers took on UNC Asheville at home for another Big South Conference game. HPU started off the match strong, taking the first set, but was unable to come out on top in the end and fell 3-1 to the Bulldogs.
"All credit goes to Asheville," Head Coach Ryan Meek stated. "They had our number all night and nothing we tried seemed to work. We need to do a better job approaching matches with the right attitude but Asheville beat us tonight plain and simple."
Site: Millis Center
Score: High Point 1, UNC Asheville 3
Record: High Point (13-6, 7-1), UNC Asheville (15-9, 3-5)
Addison Freeland and Maya Bukovcan led the team in points combining for 20 after each registering eight kills a piece. Remy Catojo once again led the team in assists with 24 and on defense Kea Whillock had 13 digs.
The Panthers had a tough battle against the Bulldogs starting with set one, as the set tied three times until they reached 10-10. After a long volley, High Point was able to regain the lead with a kill from Bukovcan (11-10). From there, the Panthers maintained the lead with an ace from Bukovcan and an ace from Gabby Hill, who also put up four kills to give HPU a 21-18 lead. With two more kills from Talia Lardner on assists from Catojo, the team made it to set point, 24-21. UNC Asheville wasn't going to let HPU off easy. The Bulldogs were able to push back against the Panthers, tying it up at 24-24. The Panthers prevailed and won the set with back-to-back kills from Bukovcan on the right side, 26-24.
In set two, UNC Asheville took the lead quickly and never gave it up. High point accumulated four errors, allowing UNC Asheville to get to eight points, making the score 8-3, to give the Bulldogs a lead that they would maintain. From there, the score seemed to only go up from errors made on both sides of the court. Whillock served an ace that helped close the gap to 13-11. Down the stretch a double block from Lardner and Freeland kept the Panthers within two points at 19-17. A 6-1 run from UNC Asheville allowed the Bulldogs to take the set 25-18, tying up the match 1-1.
Set three started off promising for High Point as the team was able to keep the scores close. Kinnady Boothe made her first appearance in set three and helped boost the team's morale by knocking down a kill immediately. HPU trailed 7-4 early in the set but managed to close the gap to 13-11 with a 5-0 run after trailing by as much as 12-6. Despite the teams efforts, the Bulldogs continued to maintain their lead, and with 12 kills, they walked away with set three with a score of 25-18 for a one set advantage, 2-1.
In set four, the teams had a back-and-forth battle, with both teams exchanging the lead. Bukovcan's seventh kill tied the set at 5-5 as Aisha Keric sent over a kill from the right side a few plays later to keep the Panthers within two points, trailing 11-9. A three point push with a kill from Hill made it 14-13, but High Point was unable to build enough momentum to gain a lead. After falling behind by eight points, 22-14, a Ryley Boyne kill followed by a UNC Asheville attack error made it 23-18, the closest the set came to be before the final point. UNC Asheville took set four 25-18, thus taking the game 3-1 and giving HPU its first conference loss of the season.
The Panthers did not have their best hitting night, registering a .009 team hitting percentage which was a result from UNC Asheville's strong presence on the block. The Bulldogs picked up 17 blocks to HPU's eight, an area that the Panthers have continuously dominated in throughout the season themselves.
UP NEXT: High Point will regroup and welcome USC Upstate to the Millis Center on Saturday, October 24th at 4:00 p.m. The Panthers will recognize their two seniors, Whillock and Boyne prior to the start of the match.
#GoHPU
