CLINTON, S.C. – The Presbyterian College volleyball team (8-18, 4-9) fell in straight sets to the High Point Panthers (20-6, 12-1), with a final score of 3-0 (17-25, 16-25, 13-25) on Saturday evening.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Presbyterian opened the match strong, claiming three of the first four points, with Ashley Miller leading off with a solid kill. An exchange of scores followed, with kills from Courtney Williams and Elyse Hutchinson, giving the Blue Hose an early 4-3 advantage. Hutchinson's next kill and a Panthers attack error pushed PC's lead to 6-3.
 
High Point responded, claiming five of the next six points to edge ahead at 8-7. Presby then added two points on a High Point service error and an ace from Hutchinson. The Panthers fired back with a pair of kills before Anna Baranski's kill kept PC within reach. Despite this, High Point took control, scoring four of the next five points and building a 15-12 lead.
 
A trade of points saw kills from Julia Yurkovich and Baranski, but High Point pulled further ahead scoring five of the next six points, increasing their lead to 21-15. Late kills from Miller and Brittney Daphnis kept PC fighting, but High Point ultimately closed the set at 25-17.
 
Second Set
Feeding off their momentum from the first set, High Point quickly claimed the first three points of the second. A service error broke their streak, but they answered with a kill. Yurkovich then added a point for the Blue Hose, yet the Panthers followed with three consecutive points to extend their lead to 7-2.
 
Shortly after, Baranski took a kill, but HPU responded by taking the next two points. A 5-2 rally from the Panthers pushed their advantage to 14-6. Following a brief trade of points, the score moved to 16-8. PC answered with a three-point run, led by a Baranski kill, cutting into the lead.
 
Another exchange saw a kill from Hutchinson, though High Point stayed in front at 20-14. Despite an additional kill from Baranski, the Panthers soon reached set point at 24-15. Williams added one more point for PC, but a final kill from High Point secured the set at 25-16.
 
Third Set
The teams opened the third set in a back-and-forth exchange, quickly reaching a 2-2 tie after a powerful kill from Miller. High Point then claimed the next three points before PC responded with two of their own. Both teams traded kills, with Baranski leading for the Blue Hose, but High Point answered with a four-point streak to take a 10-5 lead.
 
After another exchange of points, Ava Smith added a kill, keeping the score close at 12-8. However, with HPU's Jordyn Schilling at the service line, the Panthers surged ahead with five straight points to make it 17-8. Miller managed to halt their run with a kill, yet High Point continued to press forward, reaching the 20-point mark at 20-10.
 
Despite a late kill from Yurkovich that led the Blue Hose on a three-point rally, High Point ultimately closed out the set with a decisive 25-13 win.
 
UP NEXT
The Blue Hose will wrap up their regular season at home against Charleston Southern, where they'll celebrate Senior Day by honoring the team's three graduating players.