BOILING SPRINGS --- Anna Pashkova (Iowa City, Iowa) tallied a match-high 30 digs, Tyler Cockrell (Tulsa, Okla.) nearly posted a double-double with 11 kills and a contest-best nine blocks, and Taylor Lillard (Victorville, Calif.) recorded a team-high 12 kills, as Gardner-Webb fell to Appalachian State, 3-1, in a hard-fought defensive battle on Tuesday night in Paul Porter Arena.
Appalachian State (4-0) won the match by scores of 19-25, 25-15, 28-26, and 25-22, attacking at a .175 clip, while Gardner-Webb (0-4) posted a hitting percentage of .184 and recorded 14 blocks. The teams combined for 324 attack attempts and 152 digs in the match.
"We lost to a very good program that was able to capitalize on our errors," said head coach Leo Sayles after the match. "At times, our offense was outstanding. Our defense was great tonight against a very good offensive team, but we did not seize the opportunities we had. There were some incredible plays on both sides but at times our passing was shaky at best, and it certainly hurt us. We also must learn to finish when we have leads late in the set. The season is still early, and I am positive that this match will help to sharpen our program for a very competitive conference run."
Lillard led the way for Gardner-Webb with 12 kills, as Cockrell nearly added a double-double with 11 kills and a match-high nine blocks. Tyra Montour (Kennesaw, Ga.) chipped in nine kills and five blocks, as Pashkova and Kacy O'Connor (Southport, N.C.) tallied 30 and 11 digs, respectively. Kaelyn Dyson (Holly Springs, N.C.) posted seven kills, while Heather Feldman (Eden, N.Y.) and Brianna Starr (Blue Springs, Mo.) added 40 assists and nine digs, respectively.
Emily Corrigan paced the Mountaineers with a double-double, tallying a match-high 15 kills to go along with 12 digs. Lauren Gray and Jacqui Spurgeon added 14 and 11 kills, respectively, while Paige Brown posted a double-double with 15 digs and a match-high 44 assists. Meghan Mahoney also recorded 17 digs.
Gardner-Webb jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the match, claiming the first set by a 25-19 margin with a pair of late runs, including four straight points to cap the set on a smash by Montour.
Appalachian State answered in the second set, storming out to an early 14-7 lead before pushing the margin to 20-12 on a tandem block by Spurgeon and Hailey Kerr. The Mountaineers would close out the set from there, evening the match at 1-1 with back-to-back kills from Spurgeon.
The Runnin' Bulldogs fought back in the third, in what was easily the most tightly contested set of the match. After falling behind 10-7, Gardner-Webb fought back with a 7-4 spurt to even the tally at 14-14 following an emphatic block by Montour and Feldman.
Appalachian State quickly countered with a 4-1 run, taking a narrow 18-15 advantage before Gardner-Webb answered, stringing together a 7-2 run to claim a 22-20 lead following a picture-perfect dump by Feldman. The Mountaineers refused to give in, fighting off three set points to even the score at 24-24.
After Gardner-Webb survived a set point scare of its own following a Gray kill and pushed Appalachian State to point at 26-25, the Mountaineers battled back with three straight points to claim what was easily the most entertaining set of the night, 28-26, following a smash by Gray.
The Runnin' Bulldogs fought back in the fourth, evening the tally at 10-10 on an emphatic kill by Lillard before Appalachian State when on a 10-6 run, opening a 20-16 lead following a block by Corrigan and Kerr. Gardner-Webb countered once again, cutting the margin to 20-19 on a Starr ace before a Mountaineer error knotted the score at 20-20.
Appalachian State would quickly answer with five of the next seven points, closing out the set and the victory with back-to-back kills by Gray.
Gardner-Webb is back in action on Friday when the Runnin' Bulldogs travel to Niagara, N.Y. to square off against West Virginia (1:00 p.m.) and Providence (4:00 p.m. on the first day of Niagara's Purple Eagle Invitational.
