Abby Hormes had a great first year at High Point, but a sour ending is motivating her to do more this year.

Hormes was the Big South freshman of the year, topped the Panthers' charts with 59 goals to go with seven assists and 29 draw controls, and even more significant to her, was on a High Point team that ranked in the top 20 for the first time ever.

“Being a part of that was awesome,” Hormes said. “Being ranked top 20 was incredible, getting High Point out there, so hopefully more people will start to know what it is. Hopefully we’ll continue and maybe even we can get top 10 this year. We just got our schedule and we’re playing some tough teams like Florida, Hopkins and Towson, but we’re really excited. We hope to make it even further this year.”

Hormes was thrilled to find out that High Point was heading to Maryland for the NCAA tournament last year, but the Maryland native’s homecoming was ruined by a 19-10 first-round loss to Denver.

“The NCAAs, there’s a whole different vibe,” said Hormes, who had a goal and assist in the loss. “The intensity level stepped up. The teams were better. There were more people at the games. Honestly, I was way more nervous than I was for any of the regular season games. That being my first time, hopefully I got it over with and hopefully I’ll be more confident in the NCAAs this year.”

High Point will be looking for its third straight Big South championship. The Panthers haven’t lost a conference game in two years, and they have risen on the national scene.

“I hope that last year’s success has set the stage for us to expect ourselves to compete with top 20 teams every year,” said High Point coach Lyndsey Boswell. “Getting that top 20 ranking is something that we’ve been striving for for quite some time. It’s something we can use to continue developing our program. It’s a measuring stick as to where we are in our ninth season. We’re no longer a new program. We’re an established program that expects a lot of success year to year. It’s a piece of the puzzle right now.”

High Point comes back confident after finishing 17-3 – a program record for wins – and, along the way, knocked off established teams such as Duke and Notre Dame, played North Carolina well in a 14-10 loss and only lost 13-11 to eventual national champion James Madison. Their only other loss came at the hands of Denver, which pulled away after a tight first half.

“I think it’s definitely motivation,” Hormes said. “We all took that loss to heart. We want to make sure we can do anything we can to make it past that first round and not have to re-experience that disappointing loss.”

It was a disappointing end for the High Point upperclassmen who had been a part of their 2017 NCAA tournament win over Towson. They were hoping for another second-round matchup with Maryland.

“I don’t think we looked past Denver,” Hormes said. “We definitely were hoping and expecting to play Maryland so maybe there was a bit of looking past it. We scouted [Denver] like we always do. Our team, we just didn’t play as well as we usually do.”

Getting that top 20 ranking is something that we’ve been striving for for quite some time. ... We’re no longer a new program. We’re an established program that expects a lot of success year to year.

Hormes is one of six returning all-Big South players. Samantha Herman, Meredith Chapman and Ashley Britton were first-team selections. All four were big on the draw control, and Britton and Herman also were top-six goal scorers for the Panthers. Chapman was their top defender. The Panthers will have to replace graduated leading scorer and feeder Brooke Stevens, along with Big South defensive player of the year Erica Perrotta.

“We did lose a main feeder,” Hormes said. “There’s been some others that have stepped up so we’re building from that. Throughout the fall, we’ve gotten a lot better chemistry-wise. That’s going to continue to build throughout the winter and into the spring.”

After establishing herself last year, Hormes is in a leadership role this year. She left her home state and bypassed Towson, where her brother plays golf and her mother was a standout lacrosse player who went on to play for the U.S. national team. Her cousin, Jason Ashwood, a member of the High Point men’s lacrosse team, introduced her to the North Carolina school and she fell in love with it on her visit.

“She’s the whole package because her mentality is so tough and so strong,” Boswell said. “She’s good. Her teammates know it. She’s humble. She’s hardworking. She’s honest. She carries all the characteristics that you would want for any of your players. She’s the full package. I think what’s really special about her is her teammates love her so much and they respect her so much and want her to be in the spotlight. She doesn’t have to be in the spotlight because she does all the little things for us.

“She’s one of the main reasons that we create so much offense for our unit," Boswell added. "She’s very important on the draw. She’s very important in our ride. She does a lot of the dirty work and she’s happy to do it, which is pretty cool.”

Hormes is determined to help push High Point higher in the national picture. They took big steps last year by dominating the Big South again and picking up some key non-conference wins. The next step is making greater inroads in the NCAA tournament.

“I feel we definitely did prove ourselves last year,” Hormes said. “We’re always proving ourselves until we get to the top 10 and to the final four. We always have something to prove. I definitely don’t think it was a fluke. We’re a really good team and we played really well.”

Fall Focus
Big South

The Big South lost last year’s conference runner-up Liberty, but two-time defending champion High Point is back as the favorite. New this year is that the Big South conference tournament will only include the top four regular-season finishers.

High Point
7-0 Big South, 17-3 Overall

The Panthers return six all-Big South selections, and after bringing in a strong freshman class, they are geared up for a third conference title. Replacing two of their top three scorers who graduated could leave a question mark, but they didn’t miss a beat after losing preseason offensive player of the year Darla Poulin eight games into last year.

Winthrop
5-2 Big South, 14-6 Overall

The Eagles gave High Point their closest conference game last year, but must replace Big South offensive player of the year Nicole Beaston and their next four top scorers that accounted for 79 percent of all scoring. Winthrop won the 2015 and 2016 Big South titles and first-team all-Big South goalie Alaina Girani leads the push for a third title in five years.

Campbell
4-3 Big South, 9-10 Overall

The draw control should shine again with standout attacker Melissa Placek and versatile midfielder Sam Carey returning. Both were ranked in the Big South’s top four. The Camels need to capitalize better on their possession and keep the pressure off goalie Sydney Etheridge, who started as a freshman.

Radford
3-4 Big South, 6-11 Overall 

The Highlanders have climbed in the Big South in each of their first three years and now have a senior class loaded with game experience. Callie Bonnel and Juliette Ruland anchor a strong midfield for a Radford team that didn’t graduate anyone from last year and looks to continue a national trend that has seen fourth-year programs excel.

Longwood
2-5 Big South, 7-11 Overall

With only two seniors, the Lancers are young but have a solid junior class. Longwood returns four of its top five scorers for an offense that will look to be more productive this year. The Lancers also need to replace all-Big South goalie Imani West, a three-year starter.

Gardner-Webb
1-6 Big South, 3-14 Overall

The Bulldogs graduated their top scorer, but return three all-Big South selections led by Abby Hanscom and super sophomore Talen Francis. Gardner-Webb must cut down on its 20-plus turnovers per game average to become a more effective attack and a more competitive team.

Presbyterian
0-7 Big South, 2-15 Overall

Alumna Jenna Handshoe returns to take over as the new head coach. It’s a rebuild for the Blue Hose who ranked last in the conference in most every offensive and defensive category.