HIGH POINT, N.C. — The Winthrop University volleyball team fell to High Point 3-1 on Saturday in a battle of the top-two preseason teams. Paige Bennett delivered a team-high 15 kills with six digs, while Lexi Thatcher tallied 35 assists and three service aces and Giselle Little finished with nine kills on .286 hitting, three block assists.
Winthrop hit their second lowest on the season, at .140 for the match while High Point hit .387. The Panthers held a decisive 15-4 advantage in total blocks.
Bennett continues her hot streak, as she has now recorded at least 15 kills in five consecutive matches. KeAra Bowen reached 100 kills for the season with her nine kill performance.
Top Performers
Kills – Bennett (15), Little (9), Bowen (9)
Aces – Thatcher (3), Lindsay Langner (2), Alyah Cadavid (1)
Blocks – Little (3), Thatcher (2), Teagan Sychterz (1)
Assists – Thatcher (35), Cadavid (2), Bennett (2)
Digs – Torain (8), Bennett (6), Thatcher (4)
Set 1
Bowen supplied early kills as the Eagles stayed within 8-6, but HPU pushed the lead to 15-7 behind Élodie Lalonde kills and consecutive blocks involving Talia Lardner and Maya Bukovcan.
Winthrop clawed back on Lindsay Langner’s serve, using Bennett and Little kills before Langner’s ace trimmed the margin to 15-13.
Thatcher and Little teamed on a block to tie it 16-16, and Bennett’s kill, Thatcher’s ace and an HPU attack error flipped a 19-17 deficit into a 20-19 edge.
Bennett put away two late kills, Little delivered set point at 24-22, and an HPU bad set sealed the opener, 25-22.
Set 2
Bowen, Little, Trabrece Marbley and Bennett traded early kills for Winthrop, but HPU edged ahead 13-7 with Bukovcan and Lardner contributing kills and a block.
The Panthers stretched the lead to 19-12 after consecutive Gabby Hill kills before Teagan Sychterz answered with a block and Marbley followed with a kill.
After HPU went up 21-15, Bennett gave the Eagles a sideout and Alyah Cadavid served four straight points, including an ace and a Bennett kill, to cut it to 21-19.
Lardner helped HPU steady at 22-19 and 23-20, and the Panthers scored the final two points after Bennett trimmed it to 23-21 to take the set, 25-21.
Set 3
Bennett connected from Thatcher, and a Marbley-Little block helped the Eagles build a 6-2 lead.
HPU pulled even at 7-7 before Thatcher served an ace for a 9-7 edge, and Bowen and Bennett kills pushed Winthrop ahead 12-9.
The Panthers turned the tide with eight straight points, including two Lalonde kills, Sydney McKay’s ace and a Remy Catojo kill, to take a 17-12 lead.
Laila Glover, Little and Reece Rhoads chipped in late kills, and Thatcher served another ace before Addison Freeland closed it for HPU, 25-17.
Set 4
Sychterz opened with a kill from Thatcher, but HPU fired off six straight points for a 6-1 lead.
Bennett stopped the run from Thatcher, and Bennett and Little added sideout kills before Bukovcan, Hill and Freeland built the Panthers’ lead to 12-4.
HPU kept the margin and reached 20-9 before Bennett paired a kill with a service ace to make it 20-11.
A Panthers service error, a Hill attack error and a Rhoads kill gave Winthrop late points before Lardner closed the match, 25-15.
NEXT UP
The Eagles return home to host UNC Asheville on Friday at 6 p.m. at Winthrop Coliseum in Rock Hill, S.C.
Story courtesy of Winthrop Athletics.
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Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
