HIGH POINT, NC It was an electric atmosphere at Millis Center on Sunday night as High Point Women’s Volleyball became their 2022 Big South Champions! The Panthers swept Campbell 3-0 to take over the conference and earn an automatic berth in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
CHAMPIONS!!!!#GoHPU pic.twitter.com/827xnZ1FMx
— HPU Volleyball (@HPUVB) November 20, 2022
Site: Millis Center
Scoring: High Point 3 (25, 26, 28), Campbell 0 (17, 24, 26)
Records: High Point (23-9, 15-2), Campbell (19-11, 14-2)
Coach ryan meek on the win: “It’s just a great team win. If you look up and down our list, everyone contributed. I think the best thing for me was our resilience. I felt like in sets 2 and 3, we never really got to know each other. we collapsed, we were just about to make the next play. We held our own and I think you always look for signs of maturation within your team and that’s what I saw tonight.”
High Point dominated in the first set. The team shot out taking an early 15-10 lead.
Sydney Palazzolowhose name you heard quite a lot tonight, had 5 kills in the first set alone and dylan maberry put the icing on the cake with a strong kill to take the first 25-17.
.@HPUVB‘s dylan maberry send a rocket to the back corner to end set 1??! pic.twitter.com/IuH7UvaY6M
— Big South Conference (@BigSouthSports) November 20, 2022
The Panthers trailed 4-1 at the start of set 2 until sopheea mink he jumped up and hit one to respond.
OK SEE YOU TWO??#GoHPU pic.twitter.com/ktDmF5AUdU
— HPU Volleyball (@HPUVB) November 20, 2022
Palazzolo tied the score at eleven with a kill that stunned the Camels.
It was Mink again with back-to-back kills that outscored the Panthers 18-16 and rocked the Millis Center.
A drop-shot from Palazzolo ended the second set in favor of HPU 26-24.
ANOTHER ONE! Panthers take Set ??!!!#GoHPU pic.twitter.com/XKcblFk12T
— HPU Volleyball (@HPUVB) November 20, 2022
To say the third set was exciting would be an understatement. The Panthers fell behind early but did not disappoint for a second.
After a 13-9 Campbell lead, High Point responded quickly with a run that tied the set at 16.
Maberry, with a soft touch, scored to make it 23-22. Moments later, he counted someone else to take the match until it was ruled a mistake and handed back to Campbell.
DYLAN!!! 23-22 HPU #GoHPU pic.twitter.com/nRhdUDDbsW
— HPU Volleyball (@HPUVB) November 20, 2022
A Campbell attacking error and Palazzolo’s 16th kill of the night crowned High Point 2022 Big South Champions!
ITS @HPUVB THE PANTHERS ARE 2022 #GranSurVB?? CHAMPIONS HOW DO THEY SWEEP THE CAMELS?? pic.twitter.com/iNFAXtFPjY
— Big South Conference (@BigSouthSports) November 20, 2022
Sydney Palazzolo: “It’s a dream come true. Since we were all girls, the whole team wanted to go to the NCAA tournament and now it’s finally coming true; it’s very exciting.”
Until next time: The Panthers know who they will face in the NCAA first round next Sunday, December 4.