BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell used a 25-11 fourth set win to take the 3-1 (25-23, 25-20, 23-25, 25-11) victory over High Point in its Big South opener in Gore Arena Friday night.
Junior Katelyn Layden led CU (9-7, 1-0 BSC) with 14 kills on 41 attacks and added four blocks.
The Campbell back line was as balanced as it has been all year, with five Camels posting double-digit digs. Freshman Summer Schuitema totaled 16 digs, a season high, in addition to 14 assists, while sophomore Rebecca Ramirez dug up 15 Panther attacks, a career high, and recorded 18 assists.
As a team, the Camels hit 50 kills on 45 assists, while the defense posted 84 digs and 11 blocks.
Chelsea Davis led HPU (6-8, 0-1 BSC) with 15 kills, while Carly Jimenez set up 36 Panther attacks and Wavie Chin tallied 32 digs.
The Panthers put down 46 kills on 42 assists and added 74 digs and eight blocks.
Neither team led by more than four in the opening set, and the sides were knotted to 16. The Camels used a 6-2 run to take the 22-18 lead on kills from Layden, redshirt senior Jessica Groen, freshman Ali Harty and three Panther errors. HPU answered with three straight to pull back within one, 22-21, but it wasn't enough as the Camels closed the set out on a 3-2 advantage, with Layden putting down a kill to secure the 1-0 lead.
The second set opened with a High Point advantage with the Panthers leading by as many as six, 14-8. Campbell scored five in a row on two Groen kills and three HPU errors to close the game to a 14-13 Panther advantage. The teams traded points to 19, and the Camels closed out the set on a 6-1 sprint to take the 25-20 win and lead 2-0. Groen and Harty each earned a kill in the run, while senior Lorin Thomas notched a service ace.
Much like the first set, neither team had more than a four-point advantage in the third set, and the sides went back and forth until the set was tied at 18. HPU notched three-straight points to take the 21-18 lead. Campbell stayed in the game, tying it up at 23 using two Groen kills in a row. However, the Panthers stayed alive in the game, taking the set 25-23 on two Davis kills.
The Camels clinched their league opener in the fourth set after junior Mary Crema served eight-straight Camel points to give CU a 13-4 advantage. In the streak, Crema tallied three service aces, Layden put down two kills, and redshirt junior Alexis Hein added one. The Camels never looked back, going on a quick four-point sprint to lead 18-7 on four Panther mistakes in a row. HPU managed four more points, but Campbell secured the 25-11 win, its largest set win of the season, on another Layden kill, winning the match, 3-1.
Campbell is back in the Creek next weekend, taking on Charleston Southern and Coastal Carolina. CU hosts the Buccaneers Fri., Oct. 3 in its annual Camels for a Cure game. Fans are encouraged to wear pink, and donations will be accepted to benefit the Harnett Health Foundation. The first 100 fans will receive a free pink t-shirt. Saturday, Oct. 4 will be the Camel Kids' Club Daddy-Daughter Day for the match-up with the Chanticleers, and the Camels will host a post-match clinic.
