High Point Volleyball Defeats Campbell in 5-set thriller

• Sophomore Haley Barnes posted a double-double with a match-high 18 kills and 11 digs.
• Freshmen Jordan Henfer and Molly Livingston combined for 23 kills and nine blocks at the middle blocker spot.
• HPU has now won six straight matches. It’s the longest streak since November 2010.
• The Panthers will continue conference play with a 2-game road trip to Coastal Carolina on Friday, Oct. 2 and Charleston Southern on Saturday, Oct. 3.

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University volleyball team showed its resilience in a come-from-behind 3-2 triumph over Campbell in the Millis Center on Friday night.

The Panthers (11-6, 1-0) tallied a comeback win in the first set before falling behind the Camels (5-9, 0-1) two sets to one. However, HPU bounced right back and won the fourth and fifth sets (25-22 and 15-10) to open conference play with a win.

“What another great match between Campbell and High Point,” head coach Jason Oliver said. “It seems like every time we play this team it comes down to a couple plays here and there and I thought that our freshmen stepped up when it mattered and made great plays.”

The key freshmen were the Purple & White’s middle-blocker duo of Jordan Hefner and Molly Livingston. Hefner earned the edge between the two in kills (13-10) while Livingston registered more blocks (5-4). Both had efficient outings as Hefner posted a .435 attack percentage and Livingston hit at a .529 clip.

The stalwarts of the HPU squad also had solid performances in the win. Sophomore Haley Barnes racked up a double-double (18 kills, 11 digs) while senior Annemarie Chin recorded 27 digs. Meanwhile, senior Gabi Mirand just missed her career high in assists with 56. The Long Beach, Calif. native had 57 assists against Campbell last season.

The Camels came out and built a 20-14 advantage in the first set. But the Panthers clawed right back taking 11 of the next 14 points to take the frame 25-23 bolstered by six kills from Barnes.

However, the visitors took leads in the second and third sets and, despite strong efforts by HPU, were able to hold on to both and take a two-sets-to-one advantage.

Campbell again vaulted out to a 4-1 lead in the fourth set looking to close out the match. However, sophomore Camryn Freiberg really got going and led the Panthers back for a 25-22 win with six kills in just seven attack attempts.

The Panthers didn’t need late-set heroics in the fifth set as four early kills from Hefner set the tone and gave HPU a 5-2 lead in the frame. From there, the home team was able to hold on for a 15-10 win to extend its winning streak to six matches.

HPU posted a 68-56 edge in kill while the teams tied in digs (76-76). Despite Campbell coming into the match as the top serving team in the Big South, HPU earned a 7-4 advantage in service aces.

The Purple & White will return to the road next weekend as they continue Big South action. The Panthers will take on preseason favorite Coastal Carolina on Friday at 7:00 p.m. before continuing on to Charleston Southern on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.