BOILING SPRINGS --- Tyler Cockrell (Tulsa, Okla.) and Taylor Lillard (Victorville, Calif.) each tallied 14 kills, and Heather Feldman (Eden, N.Y.) added a double-double, as Gardner-Webb won the first two sets and survived a furious rally by UNC Asheville en route to a five-set victory to open Big South Conference play on Friday evening.
"What a phenomenal match tonight!" said head coach Leo Sayles. "It is great to open Big South play with a victory! I am very proud of the fighting spirit of the team. I am also grateful for a fantastic crowd that cheered us on to the end."
Gardner-Webb (8-11, 1-0 BSC) won the match by scores of 25-22, 25-14, 17-25, 19-25 and 15-11, tallying 78 digs, 61 kills and hitting .215 in the contest while limiting UNC Asheville (3-13, 0-1 BSC) to a .194 clip on the night. Each squad recorded seven blocks in the match as Gardner-Webb posted eight service aces.
"Asheville staged a tremendous comeback tonight, and I give them great respect," continued Sayles. "They found their composure in front of our great crowd and took it to us in sets three and four. But I have to give credit to our players: They weathered the storm in those middle sets, found themselves late in set four when we surged back into it, and carried that renewed confidence to finish the match."
Cockrell and Lillard led the way for Gardner-Webb with 14 kills apiece, as Kaelyn Dyson (Holly Springs, N.C.) connected on 12 of her 16 swings to post a blistering .688 attack percentage.
Feldman added a double-double with 52 assists and 15 digs, surpassing the 4,000-assist and 1,000-dig plateaus for her career, while Anna Pashkova (Iowa City, Iowa) and Brianna Starr (Blue Springs, Mo.) tallied 25 and 16 digs, respectively. Pashkova also recorded a match-high four aces as Starr chipped in nine kills.
Christine Lakatos paced UNC Asheville with a double-double, posting 18 digs and a match-high 16 kills, while Shelby Erickson added 15 smashes and a pair of service aces. Katie Davis recorded a double-double of her own with 39 assists and 11 digs, as Bryn Pfieffer chipped in 25 matches.
Asheville stormed out of the gate in the first set, opening an early 10-5 lead before Gardner-Webb responded with a 15-8 run, claiming a 20-18 advantage following a smash from Lillard. The Runnin' Bulldogs continued to dictate the tempo over the next several minutes, closing out the set with a 5-3 spurt to take a 1-0 lead in the match on a kill from Cockrell.
Gardner-Webb carried the momentum into the second, jumping out to an early 11-7 lead before pushing the margin to 17-9 with back-to-back kills by Starr. The Runnin' Bulldogs would cruise from there, capping the frame with an 8-4 spurt to take a 2-0 advantage in the contest following an emphatic Cockrell smash.
The Bulldogs battled back in the third, kicking off the set with a 9-5 run before Gardner-Webb responded with a 7-4 spurt of its own, trimming the margin to 13-12 on a kill by Dyson. Asheville quickly answered with three straight points to begin an 11-3 surge, which gave the Bulldogs a 24-15 advantage before a Gardner-Webb miscue cut the lead to 2-1 in the match.
The Runnin' Bulldogs fought back early in the fourth, answering a set-opening 5-1 spurt with five straight points of their own to claim a narrow 6-5 advantage on a Starr smash. Asheville would quickly answer with a 12-4 surge, taking a 17-10 lead following an Erickson smash before Lakatos stretched the margin to 21-14 with a kill of her own.
Gardner-Webb responded with five of the next seven points, closing the gap to 23-19 on a tandem block by Lillard and Tyra Montour (Kennesaw, Ga.) before Asheville countered, recording back-to-back tallies to take the set and force a deciding fifth frame.
The Runnin' Bulldogs would not be deterred, opening the set with a 9-6 run that was capped by an empathic smash by Dyson. After Asheville countered with a 3-1 spurt to cut the margin to 10-9, Gardner-Webb answered with four of the next five points to push the Bulldogs to match point on another kill from Dyson.
Cockrell would end it moments later, hammering an authoritative kill to cap the set and the match for the Runnin' Bulldogs.
"Kaelyn Dyson was tremendous on the right side for us," praised Sayles. "Heather Feldman did a great job distributing the ball. We know we always have a chance when we see at least three hitters in double digits. We'll rest up this weekend and start gearing up for two big matches next weekend during Homecoming!"
Gardner-Webb is back in action on Friday, October 3, hosting Liberty in a pivotal Big South matchup to kick off its Homecoming Weekend at 7:00 p.m. in Paul Porter Arena.
