HPU Volleyball Takes Down First-Place Liberty, 3-1

• The victory extended HPU’s winning streak to three matches
• The Panthers hit a solid .285 in the contests and had four players post 10 or more kills
• Freshman Camryn Freiberg hit a sizzling .667 while chipping in 10 kills and four total blocks

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University volleyball program put forth a spectacular team effort en route to a critical 3-1 victory over first-place Liberty Friday night inside the Millis Center.

Each point was played with precision and poise en route to a balance performance that gave High Point its third-consecutive victory. With the win, HPU improves to 11-13 (5-6 Big South), while Liberty falls to 22-7 (9-2 Big South).

“Our team came in very focused and ready to get a win tonight,” head coach Jason Oliver said. “It’s a huge win for us in the sense that it keeps our momentum going. Liberty is a championship level squad – they know what it takes to grind out matches. This win really solidified in our brains that after working so hard over the last few weeks, if we do it the right way and stick together we can beat anyone in this league.”

The Panthers hit a solid .285 as a team and four HPU attackers knocked down 10 or more kills on the night. HPU held advantages in every major statistical category, including kills (60-52), assists (54-49), digs (53-51), blocks (8.0-7.5), service aces (5-4) and hitting percentage (.285-.277).

Senior Kristin Heldt – the reigning Big South Player of the Week – led the Panthers offensively with 13 kills and added five digs, while freshman Haley Barnes chipped in 11 kills and six digs. Fellow freshman Camryn Freiberg put forth a crucial 10 kills while hitting a sizzling .667 on the night, and senior Chelsea Davis knocked down 10 kills while adding five total blocks.

Junior setter Gaby Mirand distributed 43 assists while tallying four kills and hitting .500 on the night. Junior libero Wavie Chin – the reigning Big South Defensive Player of the Week – added a match-high 22 digs and is now averaging an impressive 6.3 digs/set over HPU’s three-match win streak.

The Panthers came out red hot in the first set while jumping out to a 10-4 lead. HPU extended its edge to 17-7 on a kill from Davis and used a kill from senior Chelsea Blanford to take the first set, 25-14. The Panthers hit an impressive .500 as a team in the frame and held a 3-0 edge in blocks over the Flames.

The teams played to an 8-8 tie in set two before HPU used a 5-2 spurt to go up, 13-10. From there, the Panthers utilized a 6-2 run to open up a 20-13 lead in the frame and took the set, 25-20, after a Liberty attack error.

The Flames came roaring back in the third set and built a 15-11 lead midway through the frame. HPU cut the lead to three at 22-19, but Liberty took three of the final five points of the set to win it, 25-21.

The fourth and final set featured one of HPU’s best all-around efforts of the season. Trailing 15-9 midway through the frame, the Panthers began a gradual comeback that came to a head with HPU trailing 23-20. From there, High Point put together a momentum-turning 5-0 run to close out the match. The surge featured two kills from Freiberg and a service ace from Heldt to wrap up the set and give the Panthers the victory.

HPU will look to extend its winning streak to four Saturday at 2 p.m. when the Panthers take on Radford (19-7, 9-2) inside the Millis Center. Prior to the match, HPU will honor its four seniors for their contributions to the High Point University volleyball program. The quartet includes Davis, Freiberg, Blanford and Katie Vincent.