Liberty University
1-2,0-0ASUN
High Point
3-0,0-0Big South
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | 25 | 24 | 23 | 15 | 1 |
| High Point | 23 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
High Point Edges Liberty in Back-and-Forth 3-1 Contest
8/27/2022 9:03:44 PM | Women's Volleyball
Liberty and High Point battled through three two-point sets before High Point pulled away in set four for a 3-1 (23-25, 26-24, 25-23, 25-15) victory over the Lady Flames on Saturday at VCU’s Siegel Center
Defending Big South regular-season champion High Point earned the title at this weekend’s VCU Invitational, going 3-0. The Lady Flames are 1-2 in the early going, sweeping Elon yesterday before falling in four sets to both VCU and High Point.
Liberty junior Delaney Dilfer was named to the VCU Invitational All-Tournament Team, averaging 10.36 assists and 2.73 digs per set.
Notable Numbers
• High Point outhit Liberty .247-.211 for the match, holding a slight edge in both kills (57-56) and digs (61-60). The Panthers led in aces (6-3) while the Lady Flames won the blocking battle, 12-9.
• Sydney Palazzolo scored a match-high 21 kills to go along with 11 digs, while Dylan Maberry chipped in with 18 kills at a .533 pace. Maria Miggins dished out 27 assists, while Jillian Ziemba collected a team-high 13 digs and Gabrielle Idlebird posted five blocks.
• Liberty’s Kamryn Bacus scored a season-high 16 kills, while Lydia Burts sent down a career-high 16 kills at a .577 pace and added six blocks. Trinity Watts contributed 14 kills and a career-high eight blocks. Delaney Dilfer dished out a match-high 44 assists and collected 12 digs, while Erica Lowery led all players with 22 digs.
Turning Point
• Liberty led set one 23-20 before holding off a late charge by High Point, as Lydia Burts’ kill sealed the opening set, 25-23.
• High Point held a 22-17 advantage in set two and still led 24-21 before Liberty fought off three straight set points, tying it on a Rajini Fitzmaurice/Julia Mangum block. However, the Panthers scored the final two points to even the match.
• Set three featured 17 ties and six lead changes, with the last tie coming at 23-23 when Burts sent down a kill. High Point took the set, 25-23, clinching the set on a kill by Idlebird.
Quick Hits
• Liberty is now 32-19 all-time against former Big South rival High Point. The two teams last met in the second round of the 2019 NIVC, a match which Liberty won in four sets at the Vines Center.
• After going 10-4 in sets decided by two points last year, Liberty is 1-3 in two-point sets so far this year.
• Lowery’s 22 digs are the most by a Lady Flame in a four-set match since Macy Phillips collected 23 digs on Oct. 18, 2019 at Kennesaw State.
• Burts set career highs in kills (16) and hitting percentage (.577) tonight.
• Bacus recorded her 26th career double-digit kill match and first as a Lady Flame after transferring from Lipscomb. Tonight was Watts’ 22nd career 10-kill match and Burts’ ninth career double-digit kill contest.
• Dilfer posted her 22nd career 40-assist match and seventh career double-double, and her first in both categories as a Lady Flame.
• Lowery is the first Lady Flame since Margaret Latchford in 2018 to open a season with three straight matches of 15 digs or more.
Up Next
Liberty returns home and will host a tournament next Friday and Saturday at Liberty Arena. The Lady Flames take on Winthrop on Friday at 6 p.m. before facing UNCW (10 a.m.) and Murray State (3 p.m.) on Saturday.
