GWU Falls To Liberty, 3-2, in Exciting Big South Conference Action
October 10, 2009 | Volleyball
Boiling Springs, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb volleyball team pushed the preseason favorite Liberty Lady Flames to the limit on Friday night, yet it was the Lady Flames who escaped with the 3-2 win in Big South Conference action.
The Lady Bulldogs jumped out to a 2-0 match advantage winning set
one 26-24 and then set two 25-21. However, the Lady Flames took
the next three sets, 25-16, 25-15 and 15-12 to take the match
3-2.
The loss drops Gardner-Webb to 9-12 overall and 2-3 in the Big
South, while Liberty improves to 10-7 overall and remains unbeaten
at 5-0 in conference play.
In the opening set, the two teams traded points until Liberty
pulled out to a three point lead at 11-8 on a Kallie Corbin
kill.
Out of a GWU timeout, the Lady Bulldogs picked up a quick kill by
freshman outside hitter Molly Rhyne, followed by a kill by fellow
freshman Carolina Solano, cut the Liberty lead to one at 11-10.
Liberty had an answer for every GWU point, as the Lady Flames held
off the Lady Bulldogs, pulling out to a 19-16 lead on a
Gardner-Webb attack error.
Gardner-Webb battled back to take a 21-20 lead on a kill by
freshman Melissa Richie, late in the set and refused to relinquish
it despite the Lady Flames tying the score up at 21-21 and
24-24.
Richie came through for the Lady Bulldogs in the end, picking up a
kill and then a service ace to give GWU the 26-24 set win and a 1-0
match advantage.
The second set, which had 12 ties and seven lead changes, would
play out like the first, as neither team could pull away from one
another with Liberty taking the largest lead of the set at 16-12 on
a GWU attack error.
However, the Lady Bulldogs again made plays down the stretch,
racing back to tie the score up at 17-17 on a kill by senior setter
Regina Feagin.
The two teams then traded offensive runs, as GWU knotted the score
up for the 12th and final time of the set at 21-21 on a Liberty
attack error.
The error was all the Lady Bulldogs needed, as GWU closed out the
match with four-straight points, including back-to-back kills by
senior middle blocker Jessica Clayton to take the set 25-21 and a
2-0 match lead.
In the third set the Liberty Lady Flames found its offense, as the
visitors posted a .385 attack percentage for the set, compared to
the Lady Bulldogs .259 percentage.
Gardner-Webb jumped out to a 5-4 lead on a kill by Clayton and look
poised to put the set and match away, until Liberty answered with a
7-2 run to take an 11-7 lead and force a GWU timeout.
The Lady Bulldogs would not get any closer than two points for the
remainder of the set, as Liberty stayed a step ahead of GWU and
closed out the set with an 8-0 run to win set three 25-16.
Liberty carried over the momentum in the fourth set, as the Lady
Flames posted a .526 attack percentage for the set, committing only
two attack errors to the Lady Bulldogs 10.
Gardner-Webb battled the Lady Flames to a 9-9 tie, before Liberty
ran off seven straight points to pull ahead 16-9.
The Liberty run proved to be too much for the Lady Bulldogs, as GWU
never got on track, falling to the Lady Flames 25-15 in set for,
tying the match up at two games apiece.
The fifth and decisive set would prove to be an exciting one, as
the Lady Bulldogs erased a 10-3 Liberty lead to tie the score up at
11-11 on a kill by Clayton. However, it was the Lady Flames who
executed down the stretch, outscoring the Lady Bulldogs 4-1 to pick
up the 15-12 set win and the 3-2 come-from-behind match
victory.
Gardner-Webb had four players in double figures in kills led by
Solano's 13 kills. Wilcox and Rhyne recorded 11 kills apiece,
while Clayton was huge of the bench for the Lady Bulldogs with 10
kills of her own. Feagin dished out a match-high 48 set assists,
while libero Brett Wilson had 11 digs.
Nicki Scripko's 17 kills led Liberty, while Chelaine McCarty and
Loren Thomas recorded 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Setter Kallie
Corbin dished out 47 set assists; while Karyl Bacon had a
match-high 14 digs.
The Lady Bulldogs will not have long to rest, as GWU will turn
around and host High Point tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m.
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| Box Score: Liberty 3, Gardner-Webb 2 |
