GWU Volleyball Serves Up a 3-0 Sweep of Campbell on Friday Night
October 27, 2012 | Volleyball
Buies Creek, N.C. - The Gardner-Webb volleyball team trailed just once in the entire match on Friday night, as the Runnin' Bulldogs recorded a season-high 11 service aces en route to a three set sweep of the Campbell Fighting Camels in Big South play in Buies Creek, N.C.
Gardner-Webb defeated Campbell 25-21, 25-10 and 25-21 to complete the three set sweep.
With the win, GWU moves to 9-17 overall and 4-5 in the Big South, while the loss drops Campbell to 7-19 overall and 0-9 in conference play.
Juniors Erin Anderson and Tyler Cockrell each posted double digit kills on the night with 13 and 10, respectively, while senior Molly Rhyne registered a season-high nine kills over the three set match. Sophomore setter Heather Feldman totaled 30 set assists and 10 digs to post her 11th double-double of the year, while libero Anna Pashkova tallied 15 digs in the win.
Junior Emily Holte led the Runnin' Bulldogs' service charge with four aces on the night, while Rhyne and Feldman added three and two aces apiece, respectively.
Campbell was led by Loren Thomas, who had a team-high 10 kills, and setter Heather Wilson's 23 set assists. Libero Lauren Bewick also tallied a match-high 15 digs in the three set loss.
"Great game tonight," Coach Leo Sayles commented. "Our players executed our game plan very well. Our passing was excellent tonight. It was a very focused team effort."
Looking to protect its home court, the Fighting Camels took a 2-1 lead on a Gardner-Webb service ace, only to have the Runnin' Bulldogs put together a 7-1 run, capped off by a service ace from Holte, to take an 8-3 lead.
After Campbell cut the Gardner-Webb lead to two at 9-7 on back-to-back Runnin' Bulldog attack errors, GWU again answered with a small run, scoring four straight points to push its lead back out to six at 13-7.
However, the set was far from over, as the Fighting Camels used a 5-0 run, highlighted by back-to-back aces from Bewick to get within one of the Runnin' Bulldogs at 14-13.
GWU would pull back in front by four at 19-15 and refused to relinquish the lead and pushing it back out to six at 23-17 on a kill by Anderson.
The Runnin' Bulldogs finished the opening set out with another kill by Anderson and a Campbell service error to take the opening set 25-21.
Gardner-Webb ran out to a 4-1 lead on kills from Rhyne and Holte, only to have Campbell answer with a kill from Thomas to cut the lead to two at 4-2.
The Runnin' Bulldogs then got hot offensively, as GWU went on a 7-0 run to pull out in front by nine at 11-2 on a Holte service ace, before increasing its lead to double digits for the first time at 13-3.
The visitors pushed its lead out to as high as 11 on several occasions before finishing the set off on a 6-1 run to pick up the 25-10 second set win.
The third set appeared to start out the way the second one finished, as the Runnin' Bulldogs ran out to a 6-0 run to start the frame.
Campbell responded with four straight points of its own to get back into the set at 6-4 and then knotted the set up at 8-8 on a Coats' kill and Gardner-Webb attack error.
With their backs up against the wall, Gardner-Webb refused to back down, but rather countered with four straight points of its own to retake the lead at 12-8 on a Rhyne kill.
Another 5-0 run by the Runnin' Bulldogs pushed the visitors out in front by seven at 17-10, as GWU looked poised to take the third set victory.
However, the Fighting Camels had other ideas, as the home team cut the lead GWU lead to three at 24-21 on back-to-back GWU errors.
Rebuffing the Fighting Camels run, Gardner-Webb picked up a kill from junior middle blocker Cockrell to end the set at 25-21 and give the visitors the 3-0 straight set victory.
GWU posted 11 service aces compared to the Fighting Camels' two for the match, while the Runnin' Bulldogs also held an advantage in kills at 42-27.
The win was Gardner-Webb's second road win of the season, while the loss marks Campbell's eighth- straight defeat.
Gardner-Webb will remain on the road to take on High Point on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m., while Campbell will turn around to host UNC Asheville at 2 p.m. tomorrow afternoon.
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| Box Score: GWU 3, Campbell 0 |
