Bulldogs Drop Five-Set Heartbreaker To Radford
October 31, 2008 | Volleyball
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb volleyball team was two points away from winning its sixth match of the year, leading 23-19 in the fourth set, but the squad was unable to hold on and eventually fell to the Radford Highlanders in five sets, 3-2 (29-27, 23-25, 26-24, 23-25, 5-15).
The Bulldogs fall to 5-20 on the year and 3-8 in conference competition while Radford improves to 9-14 overall and 4-9 in league play.
GWU's rookie Laura Wilcox posted a career-high 22 kills while hitting .333 for the Bulldogs. She also chipped in a dig and four block assists. Senior Heidi Steinebrunner also tied Wilcox with a match-best 22 kills while hitting .311. She added six digs and three block assists.
Senior Bethany Martin tallied her best match of the year, slamming home 13 kills while hitting a match-high .464. Martin had a solid all-around match, assisting on two blocks while totaling two aces and an assist. Junior Regina Feagin dished out a match-best 55 assists while accounting for a double-double with 16 digs.
On the defensive side of the court, GWU senior Katie Matykowski posted the fourth-most digs in school history with 33. She also added an assist and an ace.
After being tied at two sets apiece, things unraveled for the Bulldogs in the fifth set. As a team, the Red and Black hit -.174 while Radford won the match by hitting .304 in the race to 15.
In a wild first set, GWU found itself down 23-19 after earlier being down 18-11. Martin notched back-to-back kills to pull within two, but a service error by Feagin gave the visitors set point. Steinebrunner stepped up and slammed home a pass from Feagin, making the score 24-22. Lauren Evans got into the act by killing a ball and Martin evened the score off a pass from Evan Moffitt. From there, the teams went back-and-forth until an attack error by Jessica Sullivan put GWU up one.
Although Megan McWhorter tied the contest at 27-27, the momentum swung back in GWU's favor on a kill by Wilcox. Matykowski promptly ended the extra-point affair with an ace.
The Highlanders took set two by a 25-23 score. GWU led 17-15 after a kill by Moffitt, but a service error allowed Radford to gain a point and some confidence. The Highaldners ran off five consecutive points to go up 20-17 before Evans could answer the bell. GWU hung tight, pulling within one on a kill from Steinebrunner at the 23-22 mark. However, Laura Waddell's kill gave the visitors set point. Two possessions later, Radford squeaked out the victory.
After intermission, things looked great for the Bulldogs, sprinting out to a 10-4 lead off tremendous serving by Moffitt and kills from Wilcox, Brett Wilson and Steinebrunner. The Highlanders would not go away, eventually taking a 15-14 lead on Megan McWhorter's kill.
Down 23-19, Wilcox's kill put some fight back into the Bulldogs. Radford, however, was able to take the next point, but a service error by Kiley Kent gave the possession back to GWU. McWhorter had attack errors on the next two plays, one of which was blocked by Wilcox and Steinebrunner, forcing a timeout.
Steinebrunner slammed home a kill to even the score. From there, the Bulldogs turned to Wilcox, who sliced the defense for back-to-back kills for a 2-1 set advantage.
In the fourth set, the contest was tight throughout, but Brittany Wilson sparked a 3-0 run that gave GWU a 20-17 lead. After back-to-back points by Radford, Feagin found Wilcox for three straight points and a 23-19 advantage.
McWhorter got the serve back for the Highlanders with a kill and Jessica Sullivan and Heidi Haubrich pulled Radford within one. Kent recorded two straight aces, giving Radford a 24-23 lead before the team eventually won with the next point.
The Bulldogs will look to rebound tomorrow at 2 p.m., when they
face Liberty.
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