• Senior Kristin Heldt posted her third-straight double-double with 16 kills and 20 digs.
• Senior Chelsea Davis had her fourth double-double of the season with 14 kills and 11 digs while junior Gabi Mirand had her second double-double of 48 assists and 14 digs.
• Senior Chelsea Davis is 11 digs away from becoming the third player in school history with 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.
ELON, N.C. – The High Point University volleyball team rallied to force a fifth set but couldn’t overcome Elon, losing 3-2 (25-17, 20-25, 22-25, 25-16, 13-15) on Wednesday in Elon, N.C. Three Panthers posted double-doubles in the loss, led by senior Kristin Heldt with 16 kills and 20 digs.
“The bottom line is Elon made a few more plays at the end of sets than we did,” said head coach Jason Oliver. “We showed a lot of improvement but still have to find a way to make good decisions when the match is on the line.”
HPU won set four 25-16 to force a fifth set. The Panthers tied set five 12-12 and the Phoenix used their final timeout. Elon scored two quick points to bring up match point 14-12. Heldt held off EU with a kill but the Phoenix scored the next point to win 15-13.
Sophomore Megan Kennedy tallied 15 kills and five digs while senior Chelsea Davis added 14 kills and 11 digs. Davis is just 11 digs away from becoming the third player in program history to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs, joining Jamie Kaufman (1597/1043) and Audie Gonzalez (1364/1726).
Junior Gabi Mirand finished the night with 48 assists and 14 digs and freshman Camryn Freiberg added nine kills and four blocks.
The loss moves HPU to 2-4 on the season while Elon improves to 3-4.
High Point got two aces from senior Chelsea Blanford to bring up set point, 24-13, in the first frame. The Phoenix rattled off four-straight points to make it 24-17 before Kennedy ended the frame with her fifth kill of the night.
Elon took control of the second set, breaking an 11-11 tie with a three-point run to lead 14-11. Sophomore Greta Griswold served an ace to get HPU within one, 15-16, but the Phoenix again pulled away and opened up a 21-16 lead. The Panthers made a run, again getting within two points, 19-21, but Elon closed out the set with a 25-20 victory.
After hitting just .093 in the second set, HPU increased its attack percentage to .345 in the third set but fell in the set 25-22. Heldt tied the set 18-18 and Elon responded with a four-point run to take a 22-18 lead. The Panthers held off one set point with a kill from Davis before Elon took the set 25-22.
HPU held a 17-16 lead in set four after a kill by Elon’s Megan Gravely. The Panthers finished the frame with an eight-point run to win 25-16. Five of HPU’s final eight points came in Elon attack errors.
High Point travels to Davidson College this weekend for the Wildcat Classic. The Panthers will face Charlotte on Friday at 4:30 p.m. and UNC Wilmington and Davidson on Saturday.