Bulldogs Drop A-Sun Match To Jacksonville
October 06, 2007 | Volleyball
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb volleyball team dropped the final two games of the match to Jacksonville after knotting it at one game apiece, falling 3-1. Game scores were 26-30, 30-27, 19-30, 25-30.
The Bulldogs fall to 10-12 on the year and 2-3 in the A-Sun. The Dolphins improve to 11-9 overall and 5-1 in league play.
Leading the way for GWU was senior Ashley Pridgeon, who accounted for a match-high 24 kills. Junior Bethany Martin added 20 while Heidi Steinebrunner chipped in 11.
Sophomore Regina Feagin dished out 49 assists to go along with 10 digs.
Defensively, junior Katie Matykowski had a team-best 23 digs while Steinebrunner and Pridgeon added 15 and 10, respectively. Martin had five total blocks, including four block assists.
In game one, the teams played well in the early going, as the Bulldogs took a 14-13 lead on a kill by Pridgeon. JU went on a 6-2 run before Pridgeon helped GWU fight back to tie the score at 23-23. The Dolphins were able to pull out game one thanks in part to attack errors by the home team by a 30-26 score.
The Bulldogs powered out to a 12-5 lead on an ace by Martin. GWU continued to tack on points, earning another seven-point lead at 21-14 on a Sara Bendorf service error.
JU then pulled within one on a ball handling error by Carrie Long before kills by Steinebrunner and Pridgeon enabled head coach Chris Phillips' team to have a large enough lead it didn't have to look back. Martin closed out the game with an ace for the 30-27 win.
The Bulldogs were unable to sustain the momentum it had from game two in the following game. After taking an early 6-5 lead on a Megan Eden ace, GWU was outscored 12-4 over the next 16 points. JU was able to convert the transition game into easy points as the Bulldogs' defense was unable to get a hand on many attacks. GWU never seriously challenged the Dolphins after the spurt, falling by a 30-19 score.
Game four looked more positive once the Bulldogs began playing like they usually do. After being down by five at 20-15, GWU fought back to pull within one at 22-21. A few points later, Martin slammed home a ball to knot the score at 23-23. However, the Bulldogs were unable to retake the lead, falling 30-25.
The Bulldogs return to action on Tuesday night in Paul Porter
Arena. GWU hosts Presbyterian at 7 p.m.
| Box Score |
