Thao Records 1,000th Dig; Bulldogs Drop Four-Set Battle to High Point

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – It was an intense battle Friday evening in the Justice Center that featured 39 ties and 20 lead changes, but the clash did not go in Asheville's favor, as the UNC Asheville Bulldogs fell in four sets to the High Point Panthers (23-25, 28-26, 23-25, 22-25).

With her first dig of the game, Michelle Thao earned her 1,000th dig at Asheville and became the 24th individual in program history to reach this milestone. Thao becomes the first individual for the Bulldogs to reach 1,000 digs since 2018.

The Bulldogs (6-13, 3-3 Big South) showed resilience throughout the match, highlighted by a second-set comeback where Asheville rallied late to even the match at one set apiece.

Kylie Cackovic paced the Bulldog attack with 15 kills to go along with 13 digs for her fifth double-double of the season. Freshman Addie Brookbank followed closely behind with 14 kills and a team-high 19 digs.

Lydia Pate anchored the front line with eight kills and a season-best eight total blocks. Pate led the team with a .400 hitting percentage. Albertine van der Goot turned in a strong showing with nine kills and three blocks, Avery Loeback chipped in five kills with a .308 hitting percentage, and Ana Djurovic recorded seven kills.

Setters Payton Rolfsen and Selina Koc orchestrated the offense efficiently, combining for 46 assists. Rolfsen finished with 20 assists, three aces, and three digs, while Koc added 26 assists and five digs.

Defensively, Michelle Thao recorded 16 digs.

Asheville hit .192 for the match and totaled 63 digs and 73 points, pushing High Point (8-8, 5-1 Big South) to the brink in nearly every frame.

Set Recap

Set 1:
The opening frame featured 11 ties and seven lead changes as Asheville traded blows with the Panthers early. Cackovic led Asheville's offense early with four kills, with one coming late in the set to make the score 24-23, but High Point edged out a 25-23 win behind a strong finish from Élodie Lalonde.

Set 2:
The Bulldogs responded in the second set with a 28-26 win to even the match 1-1. Asheville recorded 15 kills in the second frame, and the Panthers had a .098 attack percentage to help the Bulldogs to set victory. Tied at 26, a kill followed by a block from van der Goot gave Asheville the two points it needed to win the frame. Djurovic led Asheville's offense with four kills, and the Bulldogs recorded five of their 10 blocks in the second set.

Set 3:
Asheville was poised to take a 2-1 match lead, as the Bulldogs led 23-19 late in the third frame, but the Panthers closed the set out on a 6-0 run to move ahead in the contest.

Set 4:
Asheville did not allow the Panthers to victory with ease, as the Bulldogs battled until the final point in an attempt to send the match into a deciding fifth set. A kill from Lydia Pate tied the score at 20, before a block by Pate put the Bulldogs ahead by one (21-20). This would be Asheville's final lead of the night, as High Point responded with a 5-1 run to win the match.

UP NEXT

Asheville returns to action tomorrow (Oct. 18), as the Bulldogs host Radford at 2 p.m. in the Justice Center.

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About Women's Athletics Presenting Partner First Bank

First Bank is the banking subsidiary of First Bancorp and is headquartered in Southern Pines, North Carolina, with total assets of approximately $12.4 billion. As a state-chartered community bank, First Bank operates 118 bank branches in North Carolina and South Carolina. Since 1935, First Bank has taken a tailored approach to banking, combining best-in-class financial solutions, helpful local expertise, and technology to manage a home or business. First Bancorp's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "FBNC." Visit our website at www.LocalFirstBank.com. Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender.