HIGH POINT, N.C. – As the rematch portion of the Big South schedule got underway Thursday afternoon, USC Upstate volleyball took another shot at the Panthers of High Point, battling its opponent until the final point in a straight-set setback behind scores of 27-29, 17-25, and 19-15.
 
Pushing the first set to extra points, Upstate posted a .317 team hitting efficiency in the period, committing just one error while picking up 14 kills on 41 total attempts. Sophomore outside hitter Ashleigh Nicoll led the Spartans in the frame with five of her 11 team-high 11 kills in the set, hitting .333 in the set. For the match, she led the team with 11 kills, doing so behind a .321 hitting efficiency.
 
Also contributing to Upstate's success in the first set, the Spartans' floor defense dug up 18 total balls with a trio of Spartans collecting three or more digs. Leading the trio was sophomore libero Julia Gladhill who scooped up four of her eight digs in the match with junior setter Emma McElveen and freshman middle blocker Ady O'Grady digging up three balls in the set as both finished the match with five digs apiece.
 
Over the entire match, freshman setter Savannah Page led the floor defense with 11 digs as she finished the match an assist shy of her fourth career double-double. Also just missing a double-double for the Spartans was Nicoll who complemented her team-high kill total with nine digs defensively.
 
Elsewhere offensively, junior right-side hitter Ali Jansen nearly reached double-figure kills in the match as she finished with nine. She fashioned a .269 hitting percentage as she and Nicoll combined for 20 kills and a .296 hitting efficiency as a duo to lead the Upstate offense.
 
At the net, Upstate tallied 5.0 total team blocks as the Spartans have recorded five or more team blocks in eight of nine Big South matches this season. Leading the blocking unit with three total blocks was junior middle blocker Nikki Deslatte with Nicoll in lockstep, adding two total blocks on the evening.
 
UP Next for the Spartans
After hitting the road Thursday night, the Spartans return home to the friendly confines of the G.B. Hodge Center Saturday afternoon. Upstate hosts regional rival Presbyterian with first serve set for 2 p.m. ET.
 
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