#2 High Point Defeats #3 Winthrop in Four Sets to Reach Championship Match
By High Point Athletics
HIGH POINT, N.C.- The High Point women's volleyball survives and advances to the Big South Championship after defeating the No. 3 seed Winthrop, 3-1 on Saturday evening. Sydney Palazzolo and Dylan Maberry combined for 43 kills of the teams 68 for the night.
Palazzolo started the match off strong with a set from Ally Van Eekeren to send one straight to the back corner.
Sopheea Mink found the sweet spot, knocking down multiple hits from the middle to make it 17-14.
Four solid kills from Maberry would advance the Panthers to a 22-16 lead.
Palazzolo finished it off with a hit to give HPU set one.
Winthrop took their first lead of the match at 8-4, an ace from Van Eekeren kept the Panthers within two. HPU made a run, earning six straight points to jump back in the lead by two.
It was a back-and-forth exchange between the two teams with the Eagles leading 19-17 until High Point found a groove. Three aces from van Eekeren gave HPU three of the last eight points off aces.
The Panthers opened set three with three straight kills to go on a 5-0 run before Winthrop could tag a point on the board.
Down 22-16, Maberry helped HPU back to within one. Only gaining one kill in the final four plays, gave Winthrop their first and lone set win of the night.
High Point turned up the heat in set four, opening with a 12-5 lead over the Eagles.
Going up 19-9, Winthrop tried to hang in there, but the Panthers shut it down with a final kill from Maberry off a block out of bounds, advanced the team to the Championship.