• Sophomore middle blockers Jordan Hefner and Molly Livingston combined for 21 kills while hitting at a .655 clip.
• Senior Megan Kennedy just missed a double-double with nine kills and a career high 20 digs.
• High Point racked up 48 digs and five blocks to hold the Blue Hose to a .065 hitting percentage while hitting .340 on the other side of the net.
CLINTON, S.C. – The High Point University volleyball team’s middle blockers registered a dominant performance in a 3-0 sweep of Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C. on Friday night.
Sophomores Jordan Hefner and Molly Livingston where to focal point of the efficient attack recording 21 kills on a .655 combined attack percentage on the night. As a team, the Panthers (15-7, 6-3) hit at a .340 clip while holding the Blue Hose (4-18, 2-6) to .065 to record the sweep.
“I was very pleased with the consistently high level of play throughout long stretches of the match,” head coach Tom Mendoza said. “Our hitting numbers in the first set showed our potential when we do the little things. When we had a couple of points that were subpar the group responded the right way and that’s great to see. We will try to carry that same approach into the match tomorrow and beyond.”
Hefner paced the Panthers with 11 kills and three blocks while hitting .714 on the night. Likewise, Livingston put up 10 kills, four digs and one ace to go with a .600 attack percentage.
From her outside hitter spot, senior Megan Kennedy racked up a career high 20 digs and chipped in with nine kills offensively. Along with Kennedy, junior Haley Barnes posted seven kills and six digs in the win.
Defensively, the Panthers racked up 48 digs and five blocks en route to holding PC to just 21 kills and a .065 attack percentage as junior Amy Pilat tallied six digs.
At setter, junior Carly Jimenez and freshman Jenna Smith anchored the offense with a combined 41 assists and 10 digs.
Meanwhile, on the right side, sophomore Katie Tylman posted seven kills and redshirt-senior Savannah Angel added three.
The Purple & White jumped on the Blue Hose early as Pilat served up a 6-0 run as HPU grabbed a 7-1 advantage. From there, High Point rode a balanced attack that featured five kills apiece from Kennedy, Hefner and Livingston and a .562 attack percentage to a 25-12 victory.
In the second set, HPU vaulted out to another big lead (8-3) before PC battled back to within three to force a timeout (11-8). But the Panthers responded out of the huddle with five straight points to regain control and cruise to a 25-18 win in the frame.
After the intermission, the squads split the first 20 points (10-10) before the Blue Hose took the next two points to build their first multi-point edge of the night. The Presbyterian advantage grew as large as three (15-12). However, kills by Hefner and Livingston sparked a 5-0 run to give the Purple & White a 17-15 lead.
From there, the Panthers never trailed as they took the final set 25-20 to complete the sweep.
The Panthers are right back at it on the road against Charleston Southern at 2 p.m. in the Buc Dome.