Panthers win convention event volleyball title

[ad_1] HIGH POINT – Excessive Level College saved rolling proper into the NCAA Match.

The second-seeded Panthers swept fourth-seeded UNC Asheville 25-12, 25-13, 25-23 within the championship of the Huge South Convention volleyball event Sunday within the Millis Heart.

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Excessive Level captured its third straight convention event crown and sixth Huge South title general – and with it one other berth within the NCAA Match, this system's eighth look.

"It feels nice," Panthers coach Ryan Meek mentioned. "For all of us, this has been the only real focus for 11 months. It isn't simply the event or the weekend or the convention season.

"It is exercises within the winter when it is chilly. It is summer time protecting in form and all that form of stuff. So it feels nice to be rewarded for that and to win the championship. And to do it with a brand new crew is superior."

Addison Freeland and Elodie Lalonde every had 13 kills for Excessive Level (18-9), which additionally beat sixth-seeded Radford 25-13, 25-11, 25-20 within the semifinals Saturday. Gia Padilla added seven kills and 11 digs.

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Lalonde and Maya Bukovcan every had three blocks, whereas Freeland adopted with two. Remy Catojo had 42 assists. Kea Whillock had 17 digs, adopted by Brooke Briscoe with 16. Sydney McKay had three aces.

"It is clearly superb," mentioned Freeland, a sophomore center blocker who was named the event MVP. "It was a extremely good event for us. A lot feelings."

The Panthers – who've gained final six straight matches by 3-0 scores – shortly constructed a large lead. They completed the primary set on a 13-3 run, then gained the primary eight factors of the second set and later led by 13.

"We have been all puffed up, like the perfect mentality I've seen from our crew up to now," Freeland mentioned. "We have been so assured in our skill to belief our coaching. And we got here in and fought from the beginning. We do objectives earlier than the sport, and lots of people's objectives have been to begin off sturdy and keep that the entire sport.

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"I believe the entire sport we have been main as a result of we weren't trying on the scoreboard. We have been going one level at a time, and each level mattered simply as a lot because the final one. We might be up like 20 to 12 and that time nonetheless mattered simply as a lot."

The groups have been a lot nearer within the third set, because the Bulldogs (12-18), who upset top-seeded Winthrop in 5 units within the semifinals, pulled even at 20, 21 and 22. However Excessive Level, which solely has a handful of carryovers from final yr's crew, gained three of the ultimate 4 factors to seal it on a tip by Freeland.

Bukovcan had 10 kills and two blocks in opposition to Radford on Saturday, whereas Lalonde had 9 kills. Freeland had two blocks, Catojo had 32 assists and two blocks, and Whillock had 15 digs and two assists.

Catojo and Biscoe joined Freeland on the all-tournament crew.

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The Panthers – who shared the regular-season championship with Winthrop, a event finalist the earlier two years – can have per week off earlier than studying their NCAA Match opponent within the choice present Sunday.

"It is at all times enjoyable – at all times nice," Meek mentioned. "Capping off a season it is at all times what you are searching for. It makes Thanksgiving week much more enjoyable when the women are coming again and we'll get to play a little bit extra. We get per week off to hang around, see what else is happening within the nation and go from there."