HPU Volleyball Powers Past UNCG, 3-0

• Kristin Heldt hit .414 and led HPU with a match-high 14 kills
• The Panthers limited UNCG to a .093 team clip and held a 55-39 edge in digs
• The win over UNCG marked HPU’s third-straight in the intra-Triad rivalry

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Behind a dazzling performance from senior Kristin Heldt, the High Point University volleyball team knocked off intra-Triad rival UNCG 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-22) Tuesday night inside the Millis Center.

“We came out in front of a great crowd and made plays when it mattered,” said head coach Jason Oliver. “We finally found a way to make the plays at the end of sets and when the score was close. It wasn’t a perfect game but we showed growth and maturity.”

Heldt notched a game-high 14 kills and hit .414 while adding nine digs against the Spartans. Freshman Camryn Freiberg notched eight kills and hit .727, while junior Gabi Mirand chipped in a double-double with 39 assists and 10 digs. Mirand also notched four kills and hit at a .500 clip on the night.

Junior libero Wavie Chin tallied a game-high 17 digs to lead HPU on the back row.

The Panthers hit .227 as a team while limiting the Spartans to just a .093 clip. HPU also held advantages in digs (55-39) and assists (44-27) and notched six service aces to UNCG’s three.

The two teams played to a 20-20 tie in the first set before HPU notched five of the next seven points to take the first set, 25-22. Heldt punctuated the frame with a pair of kills for the Panthers. A 10-3 run midway through the second set propelled HPU to a 25-18 victory in the frame. The Panthers limited to UNCG to just .033 hitting in the second frame.

The Spartans held a 19-18 lead late in the third set, before the Panthers rallied back with a key 4-0 run to go up 22-19. After UNCG cut the lead to 22-21, kills from Heldt and Freiberg helped HPU win three of the final four points and take the third set, 25-22.

The win was HPU’s second-straight and the third-in-a-row for the Panthers in the series against the Spartans.

High Point now heads to Fort Worth, Texas, to compete in the TCU Molten/Nike Invitational this weekend. The Panthers open the tournament with a matchup against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Friday (Sept. 19) at 4:00 p.m., The Panthers then battle Sam Houston State on Saturday (Sept. 20) at 11 a.m. and wrap up the event later that night against host TCU (7 p.m.).