BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. --- Senior Tyler Cockrell (Tulsa, Okla.) tallied nine kills and a .412 hitting percentage to lead the way for Gardner-Webb on Senior Night Friday, as Winthrop swept the Runnin' Bulldogs in Big South Conference play.

Winthrop (18-10, 8-4 Big South) won the match by scores of 25-19, 25-18 and 25-14, recording 50 kills and a .364 hitting percentage while limiting Gardner-Webb (12-17, 5-6 Big South) to 28 smashes and a .088 clip on the attack. The Eagles tallied 62 digs to the Runnin' Bulldogs' 43 while also holding a 7-5 edge in blocks.

Cockrell and Brianna Starr (Blue Springs, Mo.) paced the Runnin' Bulldogs with nine kills each as Starr nearly recorded a double-double with 10 digs. Anna Pashkova (Iowa City, Iowa) added 14 digs in the contest while Cockrell posted a match-high four blocks. Heather Feldman (Eden, N.Y.) dished out 23 assists.

Allna Sopizhuk led the way for Winthrop with 14 kills and a .414 hitting percentage, as Nikki Drost added a double-double with 12 smashes and 13 digs to go along with a .417 attacking clip. Brianna Gray chipped in 10 kills on 16 swings while Maria Volstad and Mallary McFadden tallied 20 and 14 digs, respectively. Jessie Vicic dished out a match-high 48 assists.

Winthrop opened the first set with a 3-1 spurt before Gardner-Webb responded, tallying three straight points to take a narrow 4-3 advantage following a Starr smash. The Eagles quickly answered with four of the next five points, reclaiming the lead at 8-5 on a McFadden kill.

After the Runnin' Bulldogs countered with four straight to retake the advantage at 9-8, Winthrop strung together an 8-2 run of its own to open a 16-11 lead following a smash from Sopizhuk. The Eagles would keep Gardner-Webb at arm's length for the remainder of the frame, claiming a 21-18 advantage on a kill by Rachel Lenz before capping the set with a 4-0 spurt to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

Gardner-Webb fought back early in the second, scoring four of the frame's first six points before Winthrop responded with an 11-3 surge to take a 13-7 lead on a Gray smash.

The Runnin' Bulldogs would chip away over the next several minutes, trimming the margin from 17-10 to 22-17 with a 7-5 spurt that included back-to-back kills by Cockrell. Winthrop answered with a Sopizhuk smash, kick-starting a 4-2 spurt to stop the bleeding and claim the set with a kill from Gray.

The Eagles carried the momentum into the third, jumping out to an early 8-4 lead before pushing the margin to 12-5 with a 4-1 spurt. Gardner-Webb would fight back, closing the gap to 15-11 with a Starr smash before Winthrop answered, stretching the advantage to 19-12 on a Sopizhuk kill to cap a 4-1 run.

Winthrop would close out the set and the match from there, ending the night with four straight points to cap the victory.

Gardner-Webb returns to the court on Saturday for its final home match of the season, hosting Presbyterian at 2:00 pm in a critical Big South clash in Paul Porter Arena.