BOILING SPRINGS --- The Liberty Flames rallied from a 22-15 deficit in the first set and tallied 54 kills in three frames en route to a straight set sweep of Gardner-Webb in Big South Conference play Friday evening, as Tyra Montour (Kennesaw, Ga.) paced the Runnin' Bulldogs with nine kills on 20 swings.

Liberty (14-5, 2-0 Big South) won the match by scores of 28-26, 25-19 and 25-18, hitting .298 as a team while limiting Gardner-Webb (8-12, 1-1 Big South) to a .123 clip on the attack. The Flames combined for 54 kills and 48 digs in the contest, as Gardner-Webb posted 42 digs and eight blocks.

Tyler Cockrell (Tulsa, Okla.) led the way for Gardner-Webb with 10 kills and five blocks, including three solo stuffs, as Montour tallied nine smashes and a .450 attack percentage. Anna Pashkova (Iowa City, Iowa) added a match-high 13 digs, while Heather Feldman (Eden, N.Y.) notched 29 assists, six digs and two blocks. Kaelyn Dyson (Holly Springs, N.C.) chipped in three blocks on the night.

Caroline Douglas paced the Flames with a match-high 20 kills, attacking at a .348 clip, as Hannah Weidner added 13 smashes. Nzea McQuitery chipped in nine kills on 14 swings, while Kate Corson dug out 12 attacks. Douglas also recorded nine digs to nearly post a double-double, as Caila Stapleton dished out 46 assists.

Gardner-Webb opened the first set on a high note, taking an early 7-4 lead on a Cockrell smash before Liberty responded, evening the tally at 10-10 with a Douglas kill to cap a 6-3 spurt. The Runnin' Bulldogs quickly countered with a 12-5 surge, reclaiming the advantage at 22-15 before a controversial call at the net spurred Liberty on a 6-0 run to cut the margin to 22-21.

The Flames continued to fight over the next several minutes, fighting off three straight set points to even the score at 24-24 following a Stapleton dump. After Gardner-Webb forced two more set points at 25-24 and 26-25, Liberty completed the rally, claiming the frame with three straight tallies to take a 1-0 lead in the match following a Weidner smash.

Liberty carried the momentum into the second, opening the frame with a 9-3 run before Gardner-Webb responded, cutting the margin to 11-8 with 5-2 spurt. The Flames quickly answered with three straight points, pushing the advantage to 14-8 on a Stapleton kill to kick-start an 11-6 run, which gave Liberty a 22-14 lead in the set.

Gardner-Webb would battle back, trimming the margin to 23-19 following a smash by Taylor Lillard (Victorville, Calif.) before Liberty countered with back-to-back points, claiming the set and a 2-0 lead in the match on a kill from McQuitery.

The Flames parlayed the spurt into a 6-1 run to open the third before Gardner-Webb countered, stringing together five straight points to even the tally at 6-6 following a Pashkova ace. The Runnin' Bulldogs continued to battle throughout the remainder of the set, staying within striking distance before Liberty turned a 19-17 advantage into match point at 24-17 with a 5-0 surge. Liberty then capped the set and the match as the teams traded service errors on the final two points.

Gardner-Webb is back in action on Saturday evening, hosting defending Big South champion Radford in a pivotal conference clash at 5:00 pm in Paul Porter Arena as part of the Runnin' Bulldogs Homecoming festivities.