HPU Volleyball Sweeps Liberty In Big South Play

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University volleyball team picked up its third Big South win of the season with a sweep of Liberty on Saturday at the Millis Center. Junior Kristin Heldt recorded her fourth-straight double-double with 15 kills and 10 digs.

“The team did a great job improving their consistency from last night,” said head coach Jason Oliver. “They stayed focused and made good decisions for the entire match and the result is a great win over Liberty. Kristin Heldt and Katie Vincent have really stepped up to add more threats to our offense.”

Heldt hit .433 with 15 kills, 10 digs and one block. Vincent added 11 kills and two digs. Senior Maddie Simpson dished out 40 assists with three digs, three kills and two solo blocks. Sophomore Annemarie Chin had a match-high 16 digs and three aces.

Lillie Happel led the Flames with 10 kills and 10 digs and Jade Craycraft tallied 27 assists and four kills.

High Point improves to 9-11 overall and 3-2 in Big South play. Liberty is 3-15 on the season with a 2-3 mark against league opponents.

With Simpson at the service line HPU went on a four-point run to take a 17-14 lead in set one. HPU capitalized on two attack errors by the Flames and then sent the ball to Heldt for back-to-back kills. Liberty kept it close, staying within two points, 19-17, on a kill by Happel. Happel went back to the line served an error to give HPU a 20-17 advantage. HPU finished the frame with a five-point run to win 25-17. Vincent had two kills to make it 23-17. Liberty put Big South Preseason Player of the Year Caroline Douglas in the game for the first time all season and set the ball right to her but she hit it in to the net to give HPU set point, 24-17. Annemarie Chin served the next ball at Douglas and aced her for a 25-17 win.

In the second set, Simpson broke a 20-20 tie with a setter dump for a kill. Chelsea Davis put down the next two kills and forced a Liberty timeout with HPU ahead 23-20. Happel scored three of the next four points to cut High Point’s lead to 24-23. Simpson ended the match with another kill to secure the 25-23 win for the Panthers.

HPU hit .405 in the third set with 17 kills and just two errors to win the frame 25-21 and complete the sweep. Freshman Savannah Angel had six kills on six swings in the final frame.

Angel finished the match with a perfect 1.000 attack percentage and eight kills. Davis added nine kills, 11 digs and one solo block.

The Panthers will be off for a week before hosting Winthrop on Friday at 7 p.m. for a Big South Conference match.