Golden Eagles Rally For Five-Set Win Over Gardner-Webb
September 20, 2014 | Volleyball
BOILING SPRINGS --- Brianna Starr (Blue Springs, Mo.) posted a double-double with 16 kills and 16 digs, and Anna Pashkova (Iowa City, Iowa) added a match-high 30 digs as Tennessee Tech rallied for a five-set victory over Gardner-Webb on Saturday afternoon in Paul Porter Arena.
Tennessee Tech (5-10) won the match by scores of 25-13, 23-25, 19-25, 25-22 and 15-8, recording a hitting percentage of .215 while holding Gardner-Webb (4-10) to a .193 clip on the attack. The Runnin' Bulldogs tallied 10 blocks to the Golden Eagles' nine, as the teams combined for 158 digs and more than 330 attacking attempts.
Starr led the way for Gardner-Webb with 16 kills, 16 digs and a .255 attacking clip, as Tyler Cockrell (Tulsa, Okla.) and Kaelyn Dyson (Holly Springs, N.C.) added eight and seven kills, respectively. Cockrell also tallied six blocks, while Pashkova recorded a match-high 30 digs. Heather Feldman (Eden, N.Y.) chipped in a strong performance with 41 assists, seven digs and three aces.
Kellie Williams paced the Golden Eagles with 21 kills, as Irem Sile and Madison Keyes added 10 and nine smashes, respectively. Cody Dodd tallied 11 kills, 18 digs and a match-high six aces, while Sharon Anderson posted a double-double with 12 digs and a contest-best 54 assists. Courtney Smith and Sile recorded 25 and 19 digs, respectively.
Tennessee Tech stormed out of the gate in the first set, taking an early 7-3 lead before stretching the margin to 14-7 with an Anderson ace. An 8-4 spurt by the Golden Eagles would widen the gap to 22-11, before Dodd and Sile capped the frame with back-to-back kills.
The Runnin' Bulldogs fought back in the second, rallying from an early 6-3 deficit to even the tally at 11-11 with a textbook block by Dyson and Sophia Esposito (Coroapolis, Pa.). After the Golden Eagles answered with a 7-3 spurt to take an 18-14 advantage, Gardner-Webb countered with a 6-1 surge to take a 20-19 lead on an emphatic smash by Starr.
Tennessee Tech would respond with back-to-back points, reclaiming a narrow 21-20 margin before Gardner-Webb regained control, answering with a 5-2 spurt to even the match at 1-1 on an Esposito kill.
The Runnin' Bulldogs carried the momentum into the third, rallying from an early 9-7 deficit to take a 15-10 advantage following a dump by Feldman. After the Golden Eagles fought back to cut the lead to 18-16, Gardner-Webb responded with a 7-3 run, taking the set and a 2-1 advantage in the match following a smash from Starr.
Tennessee Tech answered in the fourth, opening the frame with a 9-3 run before Gardner-Webb countered, cutting the lead to 12-10 on back-to-back kills by Dyson and Cockrell. Momentum would swing back and forth throughout the remainder of the frame, with Gardner-Webb trimming the Golden Eagle advantage to 22-21 on a Starr smash before Tennessee Tech answered with a 3-1 spurt to force a decisive fifth set.
The Runnin' Bulldogs started off strong in the fifth, tallying the frame's first three points to take an early 3-0 lead on a Feldman kill. Tennessee Tech quickly countered with a 9-2 surge, opening a 9-5 advantage following back-to-back miscues by GWU. After Gardner-Webb fought back to cut the lead to 10-7, the Golden Eagles answered with a 5-1 run, closing out the set and completing the comeback with a Williams smash.
Gardner-Webb is back in action on Saturday evening at 8 p.m., taking on Wofford in the final match of the Spartanburg Courtyard Classic in Spartanburg, S.C.
