Bulldogs Drop Tough Match At High Point
October 02, 2007 | Volleyball
HIGH POINT, N.C. – Despite shattering the school record for digs in a four-game match, the Gardner-Webb volleyball team fell by a 3-1 score to High Point Tuesday evening in a non-conference contest. Game scores were 29-31, 27-30, 30-22, 25-30.
The Bulldogs stand at 9-11 on the season while the Panthers improve to 11-6.
Offensively, senior Ashley Pridgeon accounted for a match-high 22 kills. She recorded a double-double by tallying 12 digs. The junior tandem of Bethany Martin and Heidi Steinebrunner each notched 13 kills while sophomore Jessica Clayton had 10 after posting a career-high 18 in the win over Campbell on Saturday. Senior Audra Harrison chipped in nine kills.
Sophomore setter Regina Feagin dished out a match-best 56 assists while tallying 14 digs for a double-double. Steinebrunner also had a double-double by accounting for 13 digs. Harrison recorded a match and individual season-high 25 digs. Junior Katie Matykowski had 22, helping the Bulldogs total a school-record 92 digs.
GWU tallied a higher attack percentage - .205 to .202 – than its counterparts, but errors did head coach Chris Phillips' team in. The Bulldogs had 30 attack errors to go along with 13 service errors. In turn, HPU had 21 attack errors and eight service errors.
In game one, the teams played tight throughout, but a spurt by the Panthers put the home team up 18-14. However, a service error by Lauren Hatch ignited a Bulldog comeback. The Bulldogs totaled five straight points to take a 19-18 lead, but HPU battled back, scoring the next point to tie the game.
The back-and-forth battle continued, but Clayton's kill gave GWU a 28-27 lead. The Panthers' Ashley Mellott tied the game with a kill and Anna Lott gave the squad a one-point advantage. After a timeout by GWU, Pridgeon tied the game at 29 off a kill. However, a service error by Matykowski and an attack error by Pridgeon gave the home team a 31-29 victory.
GWU fell into an early hole in game two, 10-3. The Bulldogs battled back, trimming the deficit throughout the game and pulling within three at 26-23 after the team forced Mellott into an attacking error. After an attack error by Steinebrunner gave the Panthers a four-point lead, back-to-back kills by the Bulldogs' Steinebrunner and Pridgeon and an attack error by Audie Gonzalez closed the gap to one at 27-26.
After a HPU timeout, Mellott's kill pushed the lead to two – only to see Harrison follow her up with a kill of her own to slice the deficit to one. However, back-to-back kills by the Panthers ended the Bulldogs' hopes of tying the match.
Although game three did not start out well for GWU, the squad regained its composure to take a 12-11 lead on a service error by HPU. Harrison dropped back to serve and the Bulldogs helped her out by netting five consecutive points for a 17-11 advantage.
After that, GWU never looked back, pushing its margin to eight – coming on Harrison's service ace to close out the game, 30-22.
With momentum on their side, it looked as if the Bulldogs would tie the match at two games apiece, but they let an early lead slip through their paws. Holding a 7-6 advantage, an attack error spurned the home squad to the lead, and it pushed the margin to seven at 21-14.
There was no quit in Phillips' team, trying to get back into the game. The Bulldogs scored four straight points to pull within two at 27-25, but HPU scored the last three to close out the game and match.
The Bulldogs return home to face A-Sun rival North Florida on
Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. in Paul Porter Arena.
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