High Point Escapes GWU with a 3-1 Win in Volleyball Action on Saturday Afternoon
November 06, 2010 | Volleyball
Boiling Springs, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb volleyball team pushed the High Point Panthers to the very end in each set, as the Panthers escaped the Runnin' Bulldogs in Paul Porter Arena with a 3-1 Big South Conference victory on Saturday afternoon.
The Panthers held off GWU in the first two sets 25-18 and 25-22, while the Runnin' Bulldogs overcame the High Point bigs at the net in the third set to defeat the Panthers 25-23 and force a fourth set. However, in the fourth set, High Point used a late offensive run to put the Runnin' Bulldogs away at 25-22 and take the match 3-1.
In the first set, High Point came out clicking on all cylinders, as the Panthers posted a stellar .462 attack percentage with 15 kills and only three attack errors compared to Gardner-Webb's .138 attack percentage for the set.
Despite the huge difference in offensive efficiency in the first set, Gardner-Webb battled back form a nine point deficit at 20-11, to outscore the Panthers 7-5 at the end of the set, yet it was too little too late as High Point held on for the 25-18 set win.
In the second set, GWU took a 1-0 lead on a Molly Rhyne kill, however, would not lead for the rest of the set, as the Panthers ran out to a 13-8 lead on a Audie Gonzalez kill.
Out of a GWU timeout, the Runnin' Bulldogs cut the High Point lead to two at 18-16 on a High Point error, at 19-17 on a Laura Wilcox kill and then again at 24-22 on a service ace by freshman Amanda Murphy, yet couldn't get any closer as the Panthers took a 25-22 set win and a 2-0 match lead.
The third set saw the Runnin' Bulldogs jump out to an 11-6 lead on a High Point service error, only to have the Panthers score the next three points to cut the GWU lead to two at 11-9 and force GWU to call a timeout.
After the timeout, High Point scored six straight points to take a four point lead at 15-11 on a kill by Courtney Johnk to force another Runnin' Bulldog timeout.
This time the Runnin' Bulldogs responded with a 9-4 run capped off by a Dominique Bray service ace to put the home team back in front at 20-19.
After High Point retook the lead at 23-22 on back-to-back kills from Megan Smith and Anna Lott, Gardner-Webb refused to go down without a fight, scoring the next three points, which included a Tyler Cockrell kill, to take the 25-23 set win and force a fourth set.
The momentum from the third set win carried over for GWU, as the Runnin' Bulldogs ran out to a 6-3 lead on a kill from Cockrell to start the fourth set and force High Point to call a timeout.
The timeout proved costly for GWU, as High Point outscored Gardner-Webb 9-4 over the next several rallies to take a 13-10 lead over the Runnin' Bulldogs and force a GWU timeout.
Gardner-Webb stormed back to tie the score up at 17-17 on a High Point error and then retook the lead on a Cockrell kill to put the score at 18-17.
The two teams' traded points over the next several possessions until High Point put together three straight points to start a 5-2 run to finish the set out and pick up the 25-22 set win and the 3-1 match victory.
GWU was led by Wilcox and Cockrell, as the two middle hitters posted 14 and 10 kills, respectively, while junior setter Evan Moffitt had 32 assists and a team-high nine digs.
High Point had three players in double figures in kills with Gonzalez posting a match-high 16 kills, Smith collecting 15 kills and Johnk posting 10 kills in the win.
Gardner-Webb (5-23, 0-13 Big South) will play its final home match of the 2010 season on Tuesday night, November 9, as the Runnin' Bulldogs will take on the UNC Asheville Bulldogs at 7 p.m. in Paul Porter Arena.
High Point will step out of conference play one last time for its next match, as the Panthers will take on the Spartans of UNC Greensboro in Greensboro, N.C. at 7 p.m. on Tuesday night, November 9.
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| Box Score: High Point 3, Gardner-Webb 1 |
