COLUMBIA, S.C. --- Tyler Cockrell (Tulsa, Okla.) tallied 23 total kills, Taylor Lillard (Victorville, Calif.) added 13 smashes against Jacksonville, and Anna Pashkova (Iowa City, Iowa) totaled 34 digs as Gardner-Webb dropped a pair of hard-fought matches to Georgia Tech and Jacksonville on the final day of the Gamecock Invitational on Saturday.
Gardner-Webb finished the two-day tournament at 0-3 overall, as Cockrell posted a trio of double-digit kill performances and Anna Pashkova (Iowa City, Iowa) totaled 48 digs in 10 sets.
Match One: Georgia Tech 3, Gardner-Webb 0
Georgia Tech (2-0) took the match by scores of 25-14, 25-21, and 25-20, posting a combined .315 hitting percentage while limiting Gardner-Webb (0-2) to a .168 clip on the attack. Each team recorded seven blocks in the match as the Yellow Jackets dropped in seven aces.
Cockrell paced the Runnin' Bulldogs with 10 kills, as Tyra Montour (Kennesaw, Ga.) added seven smashes and three block assists. Heather Feldman (Eden, N.Y.) dished out 27 assists while Pashkova collected 11 digs.
Teegan Van Gunst led the way for Georgia Tech with 10 kills and nine digs, as Asthaan Horton and Annika Van Gunst each added seven kills. Annika Olsen posted a match-high 16 digs, while Rebecca Martin recorded contest-bests of 32 assists and three aces.
The Jackets jumped out to an early lead in the first set, taking a 9-5 advantage on a kill by Sydney Wilson before stretching the margin to 16-9 with a smash by Horton. Georgia Tech would close out the frame with a 5-0 run to claim a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Jackets' momentum carried over into the second, as Georgia Tech opened the frame with an 8-1 run before Gardner-Webb responded, closing the gap to 10-6 on back-to-back kills by Feldman and Cockrell. The Runnin' Bulldogs would continue to fight back over the next several points, trimming the gap to 13-12 before snatching a 16-15 lead following a Cockrell kill.
After a Georgia Tech hitting error handed the Runnin' Bulldogs an 18-16 advantage, the Jackets answered with a 7-2 run, opening a 23-20 margin before claiming the set on a kill by Lauren Pitz to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The two squads battled throughout the third set, with Gardner-Webb fighting back from an early 6-3 deficit to even the tally at 10-10 on a Lillard kill. Georgia Tech quickly answered with a 12-6 run, opening a 22-16 lead before closing out the contest with a tandem block from Horton and Annika Van Gunst.
Match Two: Jacksonville 3, Gardner-Webb 1
Jacksonville (1-2) and Gardner-Webb (0-3) turned in one of the most thrilling matches of the weekend, with only 10 points separating the teams over the course of the four-set contest, as the Dolphins edged the Runnin' Bulldogs by scores of 28-26, 24-26, 27-25, and 25-20.
The Dolphins posted a hitting percentage of .261 in the contest, including a blistering .472 clip in the fourth set, while Gardner-Webb hit .253 in the match. Jacksonville tallied nine blocks and seven aces compared to Gardner-Webb's totals of six and seven, respectively.
Lillard led the way for Gardner-Webb with 13 kills, as Cockrell and Montour each added 12. Brianna Starr (Blue Springs, Mo.) chipped in a double-double with 10 kills, 10 digs and three aces, while freshman Kaelyn Dyson (Holly Springs, N.C.) tallied nine kills and a .350 hitting percentage in the contest, as Feldman posted a double-double with 48 assists and 14 digs. Pashkova added a weekend-high 23 digs, while freshman Justine Bowers (Dana Point, Calif.) and Cockrell contributed eight digs and four blocks, respectively.
Sammie Strausbaugh paced the attack for Jacksonville with a match-high 26 kills, while adding 11 digs and three aces for a double-double. Emily Laskelle added 19 kills and five blocks, as Lauren Homrich and Ana Nieto-Gomez each posted eight kills. Jizzlan Gesualdo and Mayara Prestes recorded match-highs of 55 assists and 28 digs, respectively.
The first three sets proved to extremely tight affairs, with each frame going over the required 25-point limit in order to decide the set. Gardner-Webb rallied from an early 10-5 deficit in the first set, evening the tally at 16-16 on a tandem block by Cockrell and Montour to cap an 11-6 run.
Jacksonville would answer with a 6-4 spurt, claiming a narrow 22-20 advantage before the Runnin' Bulldogs countered, pushing the Dolphins to set point at 25-24 on back-to-back kills by Cockrell and Starr. The Dolphins quickly responded with a 4-1 run, rallying to claim the set with a pair of kills from Strausbaugh. Gardner-Webb answered in the early moments of the second set, taking an 11-6 advantage on a
Cockrell smash. Jacksonville would slowly chip away at the lead, trimming the margin to 19-18 with a Laskelle kill before back-to-back blocks by Laskelle and Olga Nushtayeva evened the tally at 21-21. The Runnin' Bulldogs were not to be deterred, pushing the Dolphins to set point at 24-23 before leveling the match at 1-1 following an ace by Bowers.
Jacksonville fought back in the third, rallying from an early 5-3 deficit to take a 9-7 lead with an ace by Rachel Miller. Gardner-Webb would answer with a 9-4 run, claiming a 16-13 advantage on a Cockrell kill before stretching the margin to 22-17 with a Bowers ace. The Runnin' Bulldogs pushed the Dolphins to set point at 24-22 before Jacksonville answered, fighting off a pair of deciding points and claiming the set, 27-25, with a Strausbaugh kill to cap a 5-1 spurt.
The Dolphins carried the momentum into the fourth set, taking an early 9-4 lead before Gardner-Webb responded, fighting back with an 8-2 run to claim a narrow 12-11 advantage on back-to-back Lillard kills.
The teams would trade points over the next several rallies, with Jacksonville eventually stringing together five straight points to take a 20-16 lead. Gardner-Webb quickly countered with a 4-2 spurt, closing the gap to 22-20 before Jacksonville tallied the final three points of the set, claiming the frame and the match on a smash by Homrich.
Gardner-Webb is back in action on Tuesday, September 2 when the Runnin' Bulldogs host Appalachian State in their home opener at 7:00 p.m. in Paul Porter Arena.
