Barnes Leads HPU Volleyball Over Davidson In Four Sets

• Sophomore Haley Barnes posted a double-double with 20 kills and 10 digs to go with four service aces on the night.
• Sophomore Carly Jimenez orchestrated the offense to perfection with 39 assists while registering 16 digs on the defensive side of the net.
• The Panthers will be back on the Millis Center floor on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. against Marshall before wrapping up the Panther Invitational against Wake Forest at 7:00 p.m.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – Sophomores Haley Barnes and Carly Jimenez posted huge nights as the High Point University volleyball team earned a 3-1 win over Davidson in the Millis Center on Friday night.

The Panthers (5-4) dropped the opening set 25-20, but bounced back and took the next three sets (25-19, 25-13 and 25-19) to earn the victory over the Wildcats (3-5).

“It was great to start off this second home tournament with a win against Davidson,” head coach Jason Oliver said. “They posed a lot of challenges and had a great blocking scheme, but I think our focus showed through. After the match with UNCG, we knew we needed to raise our intensity and mental capacity when it came to our side of the net and we did a great job responding to the first-set loss tonight.”

Barnes led the attack with a 20-kill, 10-dig and 4-ace performance while Jimenez racked up 39 assists and a career-high 16 digs. Senior Annemarie Chin paced the defense with 19 digs and was one of seven Panthers to tally an ace.

Freshmen Jordan Hefner (six kills and three blocks) and Molly Livingston (seven kills and two blocks) made an impressive impact at the net as both hit over .230 in the match.

HPU earned a +11 margin (48-37) in kills and +15 margin (67-52) in digs. The home squad also tallied 11 aces compared to the Wildcats’ two.

The two teams went back and forth for most of the first set before junior Greta Griswold served up an ace to give HPU an 18-17 lead. But Davidson broke the frame open with an 8-2 run to give the visitors a 25-20 win. Barnes paced the Panthers in the opening set with six kills and five digs.

Much like the first set, the squads stayed close in the second frame before HPU went on an 8-0 to build a 19-9 advantage. From there, the Purple & White never looked back and cruised to a 25-19 win behind five more kills by Barnes and six digs from Chin.

The Panthers jumped out to a 4-1 lead early and ran away with a 25-13 win in the third set. HPU compiled five aces in the frame – two from Barnes – and held Davidson to a .077 hitting percentage to earn the 12-point victory.

HPU scored the first two points of the fourth set and never trailed as it closed the match with a 25-19 win. Just as she opened the night, Barnes finished the match strong with an 8-kill effort as the Panthers out-hit the Wildcats .263 to .088.

Saturday brings two games for the Purple & White as they take on Marshall (10:30 a.m.) and Wake Forest (7:00 p.m.) in the Millis Center.