CLINTON, S.C. --- Three players recorded a double-double for Gardner-Webb, including a 14-kill outburst from Brianna Starr (Blue Springs, Mo.), as the Runnin' Bulldogs survived a scare to defeat Presbyterian in four sets and hand head coach Leo Sayles his first career win in the Templeton Center.
"Great gutsy play tonight," praised Sayles. "We did a great job utilizing a few tweaks in the offense. Our block was big early and kept PC off balance. We executed well throughout the match, and definitely showed some poise in a tight final set. I'm really proud of our effort tonight."
Gardner-Webb (9-13, 2-2 Big South) won the match by scores of 25-19, 25-19, 18-25 and 25-21, attacking at a .228 clip in the contest while limiting Presbyterian (7-10, 2-2 Big South) to a hitting percentage of .170. The Runnin' Bulldogs tallied 52 digs and 13 blocks as the Blue Hose posted 66 digs and six stuffs.
Starr led the way for Gardner-Webb with 14 kills and a .382 hitting percentage while adding 10 digs to post a double-double. Tyra Montour (Kennesaw, Ga.) and Tyler Cockrell (Tulsa, Okla.) tallied 12 and 10 kills, respectively, as Montour and Heather Feldman (Eden, N.Y.) each posted 10 digs.
Feldman also recorded 45 assists and five blocks, while Montour notched a match-high six stuffs. Anna Pashkova (Iowa City, Iowa) chipped in 13 digs as Kaelyn Dyson (Holly Springs, N.C.) and Cockrell each tallied four blocks.
Kelly Berryman led the way for Presbyterian with a match-high 19 kills, as Johna Robbins and Ashton Stewart added 15 and 12 smashes, respectively. Ashtin Frank tallied a double-double with 47 assists and 12 digs, while Mary Trimpe recorded a match-high 22 digs.
Gardner-Webb battled from behind early in the first, overcoming an 8-5 deficit with a 12-4 run to take a 17-12 lead on a smash by Cockrell. Presbyterian quickly answered with a 7-2 spurt, evening the tally at 19-19 with a Stewart kill. The Runnin' Bulldogs would respond once again, scoring each of the next six points to claim the set and a 1-0 lead in the match following an emphatic block by Montour and Devin Judge (Marietta, Ga.).
The Blue Hose fought back in the opening moments of the second, jumping out to an early 7-5 lead on a kill by Rachel Elshoff. The Runnin' Bulldogs wasted little time in responding, stringing together a 12-1 run to open a 17-8 advantage on the heels of a Montour smash.
Presbyterian refused to back down, clawing back to within four at 22-18 and capping a 10-5 run. Gardner-Webb would stop the bleeding with three of the next four points, closing out the set and taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the match on a solo stuff by Montour.
The Blue Hose countered in the third, opening the set with a 6-3 run before pushing the advantage to 13-8 with an Elshoff kill. Presbyterian would keep the Runnin' Bulldogs at arm's reach over the remainder of the set, opening a 23-12 margin on a block by Elshoff and Berryman and cutting the GWU lead to 2-1 after the Runnin' Bulldogs fought off three set points.
Gardner-Webb showed tremendous fight in the early moments of the fourth, kicking off the set with an 11-8 run. Presbyterian would answer with a 9-6 spurt, evening the tally at 17-17 on back-to-back kills by Berryman.
The Runnin' Bulldogs quickly countered with a 5-3 spurt, claiming a 22-20 advantage with a Cockrell kill before answering a Robbins smash for PC with three straight points to cap the set and the match on back-to-back swings by Montour.
Gardner-Webb is back in action on Saturday afternoon when the Runnin' Bulldogs travel to Rock Hill, S.C. to take on Winthrop at 2 p.m. in Big South play.
