The Blue Hose fall to 9-17 overall and 4-7 in Big South Conference play. The Panthers improve to 14-14 on the year and 4-8 against conference competition.

Leading the way for PC was freshman Presley Mabrey, who tallied a team-best 14 kills. Lisa Shelley added 12 while rookie Allison Brown reached double figures with 10.

Kilee Ruppe dished out 41 of the team's 48 assists. Elizabeth Heieneman notched a team-high 22 digs to go along with a team-best two aces. Junior Ashley Dunlap posted 14 digs.

PC fell behind early in the first set, 7-3, and could only pull within three on two occasions, the last time when Mabrey smashed a kill off a pass from Ruppe. The Panthers slowly pulled away in the first, eventually taking the 25-14 win. PC struggled in the opener, hitting -.129 with six kills versus 10 errors.

However, the Blue Hose grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second set on a kill by Lindsey Harris. PC would not relinquish the lead until a HPU ace at the 11-10 mark. However, an error knotted the score. The miscue started a 6-1 spark by the visitors. Head coach Chris Belshe's team recorded a kill by Mabrey, an ace by Heineman and another kill by Mabrey during the run.

The Panthers battled back to make it a one-point set at 24-23, but a time-out by Belshe settled the team down. Ruppe found a slicing Brown promptly went cross court off a Panther for the 25-23 win.

In the third set, PC fell behind 4-0 due to some uncanny mistakes. However, there was no quit in the team as it roared back to take a 10-9 lead on Mabrey's slam. The team increased the lead to three, 12-9, as Kettles and Mabrey struck again.

The Blue Hose held a 16-13 lead after a Ruppe ace, but the Panthers clawed back to knot the score at 20 apiece. PC fell behind 24-22, but Kettles and Mabrey evened the contest at 24-24 after back-to-back kills. The teams traded points and an attack error by Stephanie Wallin's attack into the net evened the set at 26 apiece. A service error and an attack error by PC gave the set to HPU, 28-26.

 In another barn-burner, the Blue Hose hit just .170 compared to .278 in the fourth set, which went to HPU. PC fell behind 2-0, but managed to come back to tie the set at five-all on Brown's monster kill.

The teams traded points until PC scored back-to-back when Kettles connected on two straight passes from Ruppe to go up 11-9. The Panthers went on a 5-0 run of their own. Despite being down, the Blue Hose would continue to battle until taking a 19-18 lead on Mabrey's kill. An ace by Heineman put PC up 20-18. HPU went on a 5-1 run to go up 23-21, but the Blue Hose countered by scoring three of the next four.

Each team would score a point - and it would be that way for the next four points - until Wallin's kill and an attack error by PC allowed the home team to take a 28-26 victory. 

The Blue Hose return to action tomorrow at noon at Liberty.