Runnin' Bulldogs Fall in the Battle of the Bulldogs on Tuesday Night
November 10, 2010 | Volleyball
Boiling Springs, N.C. - Gardner-Webb sophomore outside hitter Molly Rhyne led the Runnin' Bulldogs with 10 kills, yet it wasn't enough, as GWU fell to UNC Asheville 25-23, 25-16 and 25-19 in Big South volleyball action on Tuesday night in Paul Porter Arena.
The Runnin' Bulldogs posted a .342 attack percentage in the first set and held onto a late four point lead at 19-15 on a kill by junior middle hitter Laura Wilcox. However, UNCA battled its way back into the set with a 4-2 run to cut the GWU lead to two at 22-20.
After a GWU timeout, the Runnin' Bulldogs couldn't deter the UNCA momentum, as the visiting Bulldogs scored five of the last six points in the set, winning the set 25-23 on back-to-back Gardner-Webb errors.
Gardner-Webb lead in the early stages of the second set at 6-4 on a Rhyne kill and hung around in the set, cutting the UNCA lead to one at 15-14 on a kill from Wilcox and a UNCA attack error.
However, the second set saw the momentum of the match clearly shift in favor of the UNCA Bulldogs, as the visiting Bulldogs posted a .423 attack percentage over the set pulling away late with a 10-2 run to pick up the 25-16 set win.
Down 2-0, the Runnin' Bulldogs showed life in the early goings of the third set, taking a 4-3 lead on a kill from freshman Amanda Murphy. However, UNCA again used a long offensive run, this time a 13-3 run, to pull out to its largest lead of the set at 16-7.
GWU fought and clawed its way back into the set, cutting the UNCA lead to as low as five at 23-18 and 24-19, only time ran out on the home team as UNCA held on for the 25-19 set win and the 3-0 match victory.
GWU had three-players post eight kills apiece in Murphy, Wilcox and Lauren Evans, while Evans also tallied 11 digs. Junior setter Evan Moffitt recorded 33 assists and 14 digs to go along with the Runnin' Bulldogs only two service aces of the night.
For UNCA, Kelsey Benorden posted a match-high 14 kills, just on more than fellow teammate Cindi Miller who finished with 13 kills of her own. Setter Hallie Morse had a team-high 26 assists, while libero Alex Stewart had a match-high 15 digs.
Gardner-Webb (5-24, 0-14 Big South) will hit the road for its final two matches of the regular season, as the Runnin' Bulldogs will take on Charleston Southern on Friday night at 7 p.m. and then turn around to face off with the Eagles of Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C. on Saturday at 1 p.m.
UNC Asheville will wrap up its 2010 regular season slate at Liberty at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
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| Box Score: UNC Asheville 3, Gardner-Webb 0 |
