HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Presbyterian Blue Hose volleyball team (4-10, BSC: 0-1) fell in straight sets to the High Point Panthers (8-4, BSC: 1-0), with a final score of 3-0 (17-25, 24-26, 15-25).
 
COACH BENSON'S THOUGHTS
"We had a strange start to our conference season with the hurricane issues. We are grateful to High Point for helping us out to train here before our match. It's tough ask to start off against the returning conference champions with all the challenges we've had this past week. We completed well, but came up short. We had a solid second set with a five-point run, but gave up five to give up a deuce set. Hannah Rowe had a solid match with 11 kills while Anna Baranski led us in digs (11) and assists (22). We will have to regroup quickly to take on a solid Radford team on the road tomorrow."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST SET
Presbyterian jumped out to an early 3-1 lead thanks to kills by Hannah Rowe and Courtney Williams, but High Point quickly responded to tie the score at 3-3. Elyse Hutchinson and Ashley Miller added a kill each to keep the Blue Hose in front at 7-4. However, the Panthers rallied with three consecutive points, leveling the score again at 7 apiece.
 
A powerful kill from Miller nudged PC ahead, but High Point answered back, going on a 4-0 run to take an 11-8 lead. Rowe ended the Panthers' streak with a strong kill, and Aubrie Arnold followed up with a service ace. The teams traded points, with Rowe and Ava Smith contributing kills, bringing the score to 14-13 with High Point holding a slim lead.
 
At the first media timeout, the Panthers were ahead 15-13. After the break, a High Point attack error gave Presbyterian some breathing room, but HPU quickly extended their lead to 17-14. A kill by Miller kept PC within striking distance, but the Panthers responded with two more kills, stretching their advantage to 19-15.
 
High Point continued to apply pressure, picking up a block and a kill to cross the 20-point mark. A kill from Anna Baranski briefly cut into the deficit, making it 21-16. Despite another kill from Rowe, High Point secured the first set with a 25-17 victory.
 
SECOND SET
High Point struck first in the second set, but Presbyterian quickly responded with kills from Smith and Miller, followed by a solo block from Williams to take an early 3-1 lead. The Blue Hose extended their advantage to 6-4 before the Panthers went on a 5-0 run to reclaim the lead.
 
Refusing to back down, the Blue Hose answered with a 4-1 run of their own, featuring kills from Miller, Rowe, and Baranski, tying the score at 10-10. The teams traded points, with Baranski and Rowe adding to their kill count, before Smith and Williams teamed up for a block that forced High Point to call a timeout with PC leading 13-12.
 
The Panthers briefly took a 14-13 lead, but Williams quickly tied it at 14 points apiece. Rowe's kill then put the Blue Hose ahead, though High Point leveled the score once again at 15. The Panthers edged ahead with a two-point lead, but an across-court kill from Hutchinson brought PC within one.
 
Following a service error by the Panthers and an attack error, the Blue Hose closed the gap to 20-19. A clutch kill by Williams swung the momentum, giving PC a 22-21 lead. After a High Point timeout, Rowe delivered back-to-back kills, bringing the Blue Hose to set point at 24-21.
 
The Panthers showed resilience, rattling off three straight points to tie the set at 24-24. A timely ace extended their run to four unanswered points, earning High Point set point. Ultimately, the Panthers completed the comeback, winning the second set 26-24.
 
THIRD SET
Despite a strong kill from Williams, High Point gained an early 3-1 advantage in the third set. Williams continued to lead the charge for Presbyterian, sparking a comeback with another kill, while Hutchinson added one of her own to tie the set at 5-5. The teams remained deadlocked at 7-7 after another kill from Hutchinson.
 
However, High Point responded with five unanswered points to surge ahead 12-7. Rowe stepped up with a pair of kills to stop the Panthers' momentum, leading the Blue Hose on a three-point run that cut the deficit to 12-10, prompting High Point to call a timeout. After the break, the Panthers regained control, scoring four straight points to push their lead to 16-10.
 
A High Point attack error gave PC an 11th point, but a quick block from the Panthers put them back up 17-11. Williams added another kill, but a service error from the Blue Hose widened High Point's lead to 19-12. Following a timeout by High Point, they scored two more points, which led Presbyterian to call a timeout, now trailing 21-12.
 
The Panthers extended their run to five points before Williams ended the streak with a kill at 23-13. Despite a late kill from Julia Yurkovich, High Point finished the set with a 25-15 win, sealing the straight-set victory.
 
NOTABLES
- Rowe finished with 11 kills and seven digs.
- Williams tallied eight kills at a .273 hitting percentage, while adding three blocks.
- Baranski took a double-double with 22 assists and 11 digs.
 
UP NEXT
The Blue Hose will close out the weekend tomorrow with a road test against the Radford Highlanders at 2:00 p.m.