HPU Volleyball Falls In Four Sets at No. 21 Duke

DURHAM, N.C. – The High Point University volleyball team fell to No. 21 Duke 3-1 (19-25, 19-25, 25-15, 23-25) on Friday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Senior Chelsea Davis posted a double-double with 15 kills and 12 digs in the contest.

The Panthers pushed the defending ACC Champions to four sets with an impressive 25-15 win in the third frame. The final set was close throughout, with the final tie at 23-23. The Blue Devils called timeout and rallied for the final two points to win the match.

“You can really see the growth in our program when we come out and compete with one of the top programs in the country,” said head coach Jason Oliver. “This weekend is about establishing a belief in our system and I think we did a great job of that today.”

Davis came on strong late in the game with 12 of her 15 kills in the final two sets. She also added 12 digs and two blocks. Senior Kristin Heldt hit .227 with seven kills and three blocks. The right side hitter now has 986 career kills and is 14 kills away from 1,000 for her career.

The Blue Devils were led by Jeme Obeime with 17 kills and Jordan Tucker with 11 kills.

High Point trailed 2-0 headed in to the third set. The Panthers hit .542 in the third frame, led by six kills on nine swings from Davis. HPU won the set 25-15 and carried the momentum in to the fourth set. High Point held an early 10-4 lead. The Blue Devils fought back to tie the set 13-13 and no team had more than a three-point lead for the rest of the match. Freshman Haley Barnes served back-to-back aces to tie the set 23-23 and force a Duke timeout. The Blue Devils came out of the break and scored the final two points to beat High Point in four sets.

Barnes finished the match with six kills, three aces, three digs and two blocks. Senior Katie Vincent added seven kills and three aces and freshman Camryn Freiberg tallied seven kills and five blocks.

High Point wraps up the Duke Invitational against North Florida on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Ospreys lost matches to Furman and Duke on Saturday.