Gardner-Webb University
Texas St.
Strong Defensive Effort Lifts Gardner-Webb Over Texas State, 3-1
September 13, 2014 | Volleyball
LUBBOCK, Texas --- Tyra Montour (Kennesaw, Ga.) recorded a double-double with 11 kills and 13 digs, and freshman Kaelyn Dyson (Holly Springs, N.C.) added a match-high nine blocks to lead Gardner-Webb to a 3-1 victory over Texas State in a defensive battle on Saturday at the Texas Tech Invitational.
Gardner-Webb (2-9) won the match by scores of 26-24, 26-24, 19-25 and 25-21, rallying from a 19-13 deficit in set two and holding Texas State (5-7) to a .125 attacking percentage. The Runnin' Bulldogs posted a hitting percentage of .160 while recording 15 blocks to Texas State's three. The teams combined for 344 attack attempts and 156 digs in the match.
"I am very proud of the team for sticking with the process and grinding out a good win today," praised head coach Leo Sayles. "Tyler Cockrell earned a second all-tournament award with great play on offense and defense. This was a big defensive win for us and I could not be more proud of the girls for holding off a powerful offensive team. "
Montour led the way for Gardner-Webb with 11 kills while also tallying 13 digs to post a double-double. Heather Feldman (Eden, N.Y.) added a double-double of her own with 27 assists and 12 digs to go along with four blocks and two aces.
Taylor Lillard (Victorville, Calif.) chipped in nine kills and five blocks, while Dyson posted four smashes and a match-high nine stuffs. Aanna Pashkova (Iowa City, Iowa) totaled 17 digs in the contest. Tyler Cockrell (Tulsa, Okla.) tallied six kills and six blocks to cap the weekend and earn a spot on her second all-tournament team of the season.
Lauren Kirch paced the Texas State attack with 16 kills and a .353 attacking clip, while Kelsey Weynand and Shely Vas Matt added 15 and 14 smashes, respectively. Sierra Smith chipped in a match-high 23 digs, while Ali Gonzales tallied a double-double with 43 assists and 14 digs.
Texas State stormed out of the gate in the first set, tallying the frames first five points before Gardner-Webb responded with a 12-3 surge, claiming a 12-8 advantage following a smash by Cockrell. The Bobcats quickly answered with a 12-5 spurt, retaking the lead at 20-17 with a Kirch kill.
The Runnin' Bulldogs battled back, pushing the Bobcats to set point at 24-22 before Texas State countered with back-to-back points to even the tally at 24-24. Gardner-Webb answered with back-to-back tallies of its own, claiming the set and a 1-0 lead in the match on a kill and an ace by Feldman.
The Bobcats responded in the early moments of the second, jumping out to an 8-3 lead following back-to-back kills from Kirch. Texas State would push the lead to 19-11 before Gardner-Webb answered with a 12-4 surge, evening the tally at 23-23 with three straight blocks, the last of which coming from Dyson and freshman Sophia Esposito (Coroapolis, Pa.).
After Texas State countered with a Keeley Davis kill, the Runnin' Bulldogs responded with three straight points, capping the set and taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the match on a tandem block by Dyson and Esposito.
The Bobcats fought back in the third, opening an early 10-6 advantage following a block by Alexandra Simms and Amanda Watkins. After Gardner-Webb countered with a 4-0 spurt to even the score at 10-10, Texas State responded with a 12-6 surge, taking a 22-16 lead with a Kirch kill before closing out the set at 25-19 following a Watkins smash.
The fourth frame proved to be a tightly contested affair, with neither team opening more than a two-point lead until midway through the set, when Gardner-Webb put together a quick 4-0 spurt to take a 18-15 advantage following back-to-back errors by the Bobcats.
Texas State would quickly answer with a 6-2 spurt, reclaiming the advantage at 21-20 with a Kirch smash. The Runnin' Bulldogs refused to give in, immediately responding with four straight points to push the Bobcats to match point before Cockrell delivered the final blow with an emphatic smash.
Gardner-Webb returns to the court on Tuesday when the Runnin' Bulldogs host UNC Charlotte at 7:00 p.m. in Paul Porter Arena.
