HPU Volleyball Picks Up Road Sweep at Winthrop

• HPU picked up its second Big South win with a sweep of Winthrop
• Freshman Camryn Freiberg set a new career high with 14 kills
• HPU tied a season high with 13 blocks

ROCK HILL, S.C. – The High Point University volleyball team notched a key Big South Conference win with a sweep of Winthrop on Friday at the Winthrop Coliseum.

Freshman Camryn Freiberg tallied a career-high 14 kills, while the Panthers tied a season-high with 13 blocks on the night.

HPU picked up its second conference victory of the year with the 3-0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-23) triumph. Freiberg led the Panther attack, as the freshman tallied 14 kills, a .571 attack percentage and six blocks. Junior Gabi Mirand collected a match-high 27 assists and nine digs, while fellow junior Wavie Chin notched a contest-best 17 digs.

“I was glad to see our team come out with the same consistent volleyball we’ve been playing for the last couple weeks,” head coach Jason Oliver said. “It was even more important that we found a way to finish the match off in the third set. I thought that Camryn came in and gave us a big spark. Our ball control really stepped up when the game was on the line. I was pleased to see how Wavie and Annemarie Chin and Chelsea Davis were able to step up their game when it came to ball control.”

High Point utilized big runs in all three sets to secure the sweep. In the first set, HPU trailed 10-9 before running off five points in a row, and nine of the next 10, to take control at 18-11. The Panthers dominated the second set, opening up a 16-6 lead before cruising to a 25-15 win in the set.

Winthrop took a 14-11 lead in the third set before a service error swung the momentum. A kill from senior Chelsea Davis and three straight Radford attack errors pushed HPU in front, 16-14. The Panthers got to match point at 24-20 on back-to-back service aces from sophomore Greta Griswold before Winthrop scored three straight points to cut the lead to 24-23. HPU finished the match, though, thanks to a block from redshirt-sophomore Savannah Angel and freshman Haley Barnes.

High Point out-hit Winthrop, .152 to .057, and held the advantage in digs (53-41) and blocks (13-9). With the win, HPU improves to 8-12 overall and 2-4 in Big South play. Winthrop drops to 14-8 on the season and 4-2 in conference play.

“It was a good win for our team,” Oliver said. “Winthrop is a tough team to beat on the road and we’re excited to get back at it tomorrow against Presbyterian.”

High Point travels to Clinton, S.C. on Saturday to take on Presbyterian College at 6 p.m. The Blue Hose swept Campbell on Friday.