CLINTON, S.C. – It was senior Saturday for the High Point University volleyball team as the Panthers took on USC Upstate for the second meeting this season in Big South Conference play. The Panthers ended the weekend victorious with a 3-1 win over the Spartans.
Prior to the match, High Point recognized two seniors,
Kea Whillock and
Ryley Boyne. Whillock played all four years in purple and white and will graduate with a degree in sales. Boyne played the last two seasons with HPU and after earning her undergraduate degree a season ago, she will complete her MBA in May.
Site: Millis Center
Score: High Point 3, USC Upstate 1
Record: High Point (14-6,8-1 Big South), USC Upstate (8-12,1-8 Big South)
"It wasn't pretty until the end," Head Coach
Ryan Meek stated, "but we found a way to get up 2-1 through some bad volleyball. They're not all pretty so we'll take an ugly win over a pretty loss any day."
In set one, High Point trailed through the opening points after USC Upstate made a run to lead 14-9. HPU took advantage of two errors from the Spartans and an HPU service ace from
Havani Embry to close the gap to 14-12. An 8-1 run swung the score in favor of the Panthers as High Point put down kills from
Maya Bukovcan,
Aisha Keric and
Gabby Hill on the front row. After taking a two-point lead 20-18, the Panthers held onto the lead through the final five points to win the first set 25-22.
In set two, High Point struggled to connect on the attack, registering only seven kills as a team throughout the set which resulted in a 25-16 loss, evening the match to 1-1.
Determined to bounce back in the third set, HPU turned up the heat and returned to the court swinging on all cylinders. Entering the match was
Kinnady Boothe on the outside who put down an early kill to give HPU its fifth point of the set to lead by one.
Addison Freeland followed up in the middle and secured a kill to make it 6-4. Another kill from Boothe kept HPU ahead, 8-7.
USC Upstate took a 14-12 lead but Boothe answered again for the Panthers, sparking a 3-0 run to go up 15-14. HPU posted a 4-0 run shortly after with a kill from
Remy Catojo, back-to-back kills from Keric and another outside kill from Boothe. The 19-16 separation was enough to hold on to the lead through the final points of the set and take a 2-1 match advantage with a 25-21 set win.
It was all High Point in the fourth and final set. With Élodie Lalonde on the serve the Panthers set out on a 10-3 lead after registering six kills and a service ace. A 5-0 run midway through the action gave HPU a 10-plus advantage and an 18-6 lead. Lalonde helped finish off three of the last four points with back-to-back kills and a service ace to win the set 25-9.
Keric led the match with 10 kills on a .474 hitting percentage for her third match this season with double digit kills. Lalonde complimented Keric with nine kills while Bukovcan, Catojo and Boothe each contributed six kills as Boothe registered a season-high. Catojo finished with 27 assists and added 12 digs.
Sydney McKay and Lalonde also added double digit digs for the Panthers.
As a team, HPU hit .248 and recorded its best hitting in the fourth set with a .542 percentage on 14 kills.
UP NEXT: High Point remains at the Millis Center on Friday, October 30 and will host Presbyterian College at 6:00 p.m.
#GoHPU
