High Point, N.C. – High Point University had its last home game of the season against Charleston Southern University, where the Panthers brought their A-game and swept the Buccaneers, 3-0.
"Another great team performance," Head Coach Ryan Meek stated. "Wrapping up our home slate with two sweeps was a perfect topping to our home season and we want to thank everyone for coming to the matches!"
Site: Millis Center
Score: High Point 3, Charleston Southern 0
Record: High Point (16-6, 10-1), Charleston Southern (11-13, 3-8)
High Point had a balanced attack, led by Addison Freeland with eight kills, Élodie Lalonde with seven kills, Kinnady Boothe with six kills and Talia Lardner with five kills. HPU was able to show off some new talent on the team with multiple freshman making appearances and contributions in Boothe, Morgan Duse-Anthony, Alden Schwartz and Eliana Whittaker. Together, the Panthers had seven total team blocks, with Maya Bukovcan eclipsing her 100th block of the season, posting back-to-back seasons with 100 blocks.
HPU was able to quickly gain the lead with two service aces from Bukovcan followed by blocks from Bukovcan, Aisha Keric and Freeland, getting the team to an 8-3 lead. The Buccaneers had a hard time catching up, making several errors while trailing High Point 20-10. With a few more kills from the Panthers and errors from the Buccaneers, the game quickly went to match point, where High Point won on a Charleston Southern service error, 25-17.
Set two started off very similar to set one, with another service ace from Bukovcan, followed by a service ace from Grace Killion, four kills from Lalonde, and two kills from Boothe. The Panthers were doubling Charleston Southern's score 14-7.
The large lead allowed for some new faces to enter the lineup. Freshman Duse-Anthony had two assists, with one dished out to sophomore Jasmine Oduro to make it 23-9. Freshman Schwartz was able to get her second kill of the season with an assist from Ryley Boyne, getting the team to match point, 24-11. Freeland secured the final kill of the game, ending the set at 25-12 to take a 2-0 lead in sets.
In set three, Charleston Southern gained the lead for the first time in the match, 4-3, but three kills from sophomore Lardner helped put High Point back on top at 10-8.
The Buccaneers were able to quickly catch up and reclaim the lead at 14-12. A kill from Freeland and a sneaky service ace from Remy Catojo that landed just over the net helped tie the game back up at 14-14. Then, with a block from Freeland and Lardner, the Panthers were back on top, where they stayed for the remainder of the set. HPU won the game after an impressive block from Bukovcan and Boothe, ending the match 25-18 and sweeping Charleston Southern.
UP NEXT: High Point will begin a three game away stand, traveling first to Winthrop University on Friday, November 6 for a match at 6:00 p.m. in Rock Hill, S.C.
#GoHPU
