HPU Volleyball Takes Four-Set Loss To Presbyterian

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Presbyterian College rallied past the High Point University volleyball team in four sets on Saturday at the Millis Center. HPU won the first set but the Blue Hose fought back to win the match 3-1 (25-17, 24-26, 18-25, 19-25). Sophomore Annemarie Chin led the team with 21 digs.

“We are a team still going through some growing pains,” said head coach Jason Oliver. “We still need to be more consistent but I feel like we are working hard and learning from our mistakes. I am confident the team will work hard in preparation for Campbell next weekend.”

Junior Kristin Heldt put up a double-double with 15 kills and 13 digs and junior Chelsea Davis added 14 kills and eight digs. Junior Katie Vincent hit .529 with 11 kills, five blocks and two aces.

Andrea Barman tallied 14 kills to lead the Blue Hose while Rachel Hall added 13 kills. Mary Trimpe had a match-high 23 digs.

With the win Presbyterian College improves to 7-15 overall and 5-2 in league play. High Point falls to 10-12 on the season with a 4-3 record against Big South opponents.

High Point came out strong with a 25-17 win in the first set. The Panthers built an early 14-10 lead and pushed it to 18-10 with two kills by Heldt, one kill from Vincent and a block by freshman Megan Kennedy. The Panthers maintained control of the first set, rolling to a 25-17 win.

The Blue Hose held off a late push by High Point in the second set. PC held a 23-20 lead when Heldt and Vincent put down kills to get HPU within one. Vincent, Kennedy and Heldt all went up and blocked a ball from Kelly Berryman to tie the set 23-23. Hall scored two of the next three points for Presbyterian to bring up set point, 25-24. Trimpe served an ace to win the frame.

Presbyterian College opened the third set with a 6-0 run and never gave up the lead. The Panthers got within three points, 13-16, on a kill by Davis. PC finished the frame with a 9-5 run to win 25-18.

The momentum stayed with PC in the fourth set as they built an early 6-2 lead. Again HPU closed the lead to three, 19-16, forcing a Blue Hose timeout. Presbyterian was able to regroup and go on a 3-1 run out of the break to push the lead to 22-17. The mini run was enough to spur PC to a 25-19 win the final set.

Senior Maddie Simpson finished with 39 assists, seven digs and six blocks. Sophomore Wavie Chin chipped in 10 digs.

High Point heads back on the road to face Campbell on Friday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. in Buies Creek, N.C. The Camels beat HPU in five sets at the Millis Center on Sept. 27.