Coastal Carolina volleyball opened its 2004 Big South Conference schedule with a hard-fought loss to High Point, 3-1, Sept. 24, at the Millis Center in High Point, N.C.

CCU  (7-5, 0-1 Big South) was coming off a 3-0 victory on Tuesday, Sept. 24, over UNC-Wilmington but High Point  (7-7, 1-0 Big South)came into the match even hotter, having won its last three, and after tonight now are riding a four-game winning streak.

It was not an easy victory for High Point, as Coastal dropped the first game 23-30 when High Point’s Rachel Schamberger registered a kill that sealed the victory for High Point. Schamberger again came up big in game two, with a block that preserved the 25-30 victory, for a 2-0 Panther lead.

Coastal would fight back to take the lead on the Panthers in game three only to watch HPU fight off four potential game points and tie the game at 29-29. Katherine Jensen (Vancouver, British Columbia/Sentinel Secondary (Ole Miss)) then registered a kill and Laura Obert (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mother of Mercy) and Jennifer Hampton (Lake Forest, Calif./El Toro) recorded a block to give the Lady Chanticleers a 31-29 victory, and pull them to within a game of High Point at 1-2.

Unfortunately for the Lady Chants, High Point would regroup and close out game four, 22-30. HPU’s Jamie Kaufman registered the final three kills of the game to send High Point home victorious.

Coastal was led in defeat by Jensen, who had 15 kills and 14 digs. Obert was the only other Lady Chant to register double figures in kills with 11. Kaufman led all players with 24 kills for High Point. Besides Jensen, Coastal had three other players that registered double digit totals in digs, as Hampton and sophomores Kristin Rinne (Fountain Hills, Ariz./Fountain Hills) and Alicia Meyers (Temecula, Calif./Temecula Valley) recorded 13, 12, 11, respectively. Hampton recorded a team-high 36 assists for Coastal in defeat. HPU’s Michelle Feiser recorded a game-leading 56 assists in victory.

For the game, Coastal was outhit 75-53, and came up short in hitting percentage as well, at .253-.159.

CCU will next travel to Rock Hill, S.C. on Saturday, Sept. 25, as they take on the Winthrop Eagles (11-2) starting at 2 p.m.