BOILING SPRINGS --- Tyler Cockrell (Tulsa, Okla.) and Tyra Montour (Kennesaw, Ga.) each tallied 12 kills as Gardner-Webb fell to Coastal Carolina in four sets in Big South Conference play on Friday evening in Paul Porter Arena.
Coastal Carolina (17-5, 6-2 Big South) hit .350 as a team in the match, including a blistering .550 clip in the first set, while holding Gardner-Webb (10-15, 3-4 Big South) to a hitting percentage of .111 in the contest. The Chants tallied nine blocks to the Runnin' Bulldogs' three as Gardner-Webb held an 8-4 advantage in service aces.
"We fought hard against a quality team with some outstanding hitters," said head coach Leo Sayles. "We must be more consistent, make the most of our opportunities, and play with an even keel. When we do, we can compete against a team like Coastal. If we have the same fight tomorrow and execute well, we can finish our weekend on a positive note."
Cockrell and Montour led the way for Gardner-Webb with 12 kills each, as Kaelyn Dyson (Holly Springs, N.C.) and Heather Feldman (Eden, N.Y.) added six and five smashes, respectively. Anna Pashkova (Iowa City, Iowa) paced the team with 17 digs, while Feldman and Brianna Starr (Blue Springs, Mo.) each posted nine. Feldman also dished out 31 assists in the match while she, Pashkova and Sydney Marshall (Norcross, Ga.) all recorded a match-high two aces.
Leah Hardeman paced the Chants with a match-high 16 kills while adding 18 digs for a double-double. Katie Martin and Lian Bernett tallied 15 and 10 kills, respectively, as Jenna Orner posted a contest-best 25 digs. Sam Skyrd dished out a match-high 37 assists while Annayka Legros led all blockers with seven stuffs.
Coastal started off strong in the first set, jumping out to a 10-5 lead before Gardner-Webb countered with a 4-1 spurt to trim the margin to 11-9 on an ace from Marshall. The Chants quickly answered with a 9-2 run, pushing the advantage to 20-11 before taking a 1-0 lead in the match on a Hardeman kill.
The Runnin' Bulldogs battled back in the second, rallying from an early 6-2 deficit to take a 14-12 lead following back-to-back smashes by Sophia Esposito (Coroapolis, Pa.) and Montour. After Coastal countered with a 5-1 spurt to claim a narrow 17-15 advantage, Gardner-Webb answered with a 9-4 run of its own, pushing the Chants to set point at 24-21 before knotting the match at 1-1 on a smash from Dyson.
Coastal wasted little time replying in the third, opening the set with a 9-2 run before Gardner-Webb responded, closing the gap to 12-9 with a 7-3 spurt which was capped by a Montour kill and a Coastal miscue. The Runnin' Bulldogs would trim the margin further to 15-13 before Coastal regained control, stretching the advantage to 20-15 and closing out the set with five straight points to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Gardner-Webb battled back in the fourth, taking an early 6-5 lead on a Feldman ace. Coastal would quickly counter with a 5-1 spurt, claiming a 10-7 advantage on a solo stuff by Hardeman before the Runnin' Bulldogs answered with five of the next six points to retake the lead at 12-11.
The Runnin' Bulldogs would push the advantage to 16-13 on an ace from Kacy O'Connor (Southport, N.C.) before Coastal responded, stringing together an 8-3 run to claim a narrow 21-19 lead on back-to-back kills from Martin. Montour answered Martin's back-to-back effort with one of her own, pulling the Runnin' Bulldogs back level at 21-21 with two straight kills to force a Coastal timeout.
The break performed exactly as intended, with Coastal recording three of the next four points to push the Runnin' Bulldogs to match point before closing out the win with a Legros smash.
Gardner-Webb is back in action on Saturday afternoon when the Runnin' Bulldogs host Charleston Southern for their Pretty in Pink match as they gather donations to support the Pretty In Pink Foundation, which gives financial support to local women and their families who are battling breast cancer. First serve is slated for 2:00 pm.
