NIAGARA, N.Y. --- Sophomore Brianna Starr (Blue Springs, Mo.) tallied 21 kills and 12 digs to lead Gardner-Webb to a split against West Virginia and Providence at the Purple Eagle Invitational, hosted by Niagara University, on Friday afternoon.
West Virginia (4-1) opened the day with a three-set sweep against Gardner-Webb (1-5), winning the match by scores of 25-16, 25-14 and 25-16, while posting a .446 attacking percentage to go along with six blocks and 37 kills. The Runnin' Bulldogs earned a split for the day with a straight-set sweep of Providence (0-6), claiming their first win of the season by scores of 25-18, 25-21 and 25-17 while hitting .391 as a team and dropping in eight aces.
"I'm glad we got our first win under our belts," said head coach Leo Sayles. "We got off to a poor start in our match against WVU. They are a very solid team and kept our passing at bay with precise serving. We were not able to run our offense well and they are too good at attacking in transition."
Match One: West Virginia 3, Gardner-Webb 0
Starr paced the Runnin' Bulldog attack with 11 kills on 22 swings, while posting a .273 hitting percentage and six digs. Tyler Cockrell (Tulsa, Okla.) added five kills as Heather Feldman (Eden, N.Y.) and Anna Pashkova (Iowa City, Iowa) chipped in 21 assists and seven digs, respectively.
Jordan Anderson led the way for West Virginia with a match-high 18 kills, committing just two errors while posting a .516 attack percentage. Hannah Sackett added seven kills, while Lamprini Konstantindou dished out 22 assists. Gianna Gotterba chipped in a match-high nine digs.
The Mountaineers jumped out to an early 13-4 lead in the first set, stringing together a 7-2 run before Gardner-Webb responded, trimming the margin to 18-13 with a 9-5 spurt that was capped by a Starr smash. West Virginia would answer with a 7-3 stretch, closing out the set with a trio of kills from Anderson to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Runnin' Bulldogs fought back early in the second, taking a narrow 6-4 advantage following a kill from Taylor Lillard (Victorville, Calif.). West Virginia quickly countered with an 8-0 run, claiming a 12-6 lead before stretching the margin to 22-11 on a tandem block by Evyn McCoy and Nikki Attea. The Mountaineers would close out the set from there, capping the frame with a kill from Morgan Montgomery.
West Virginia carried the momentum into the third, taking an early 11-7 lead before pushing the advantage to 20-13 with an 8-3 run. The Runnin' Bulldogs would fight back, trimming the margin to 22-16 on a Cockrell kill before the Mountaineers capped the frame and the match with three straight points.
Match Two: Gardner-Webb 3, Providence 0
Starr continued her strong play against Providence, dropping in 10 kills to go along with six digs and a .471 hitting percentage. Cockrell added 10 kills of her own in the match, swinging at a .529 clip, while Tyra Montour (Kennesaw, Ga.) and Lillard each chipped in eight kills.
"Bri[anna] Starr was strong all day, both passing and hitting," praised Sayles. "I'm really proud of the way she played, especially her solid all-around performance against Providence. Our solid passing and serving allowed us to force our tempo on the Friars."
Feldman turned in a solid performance of her own with a double-double, totaling 35 assists and 11 digs to go along with four kills on five attempts. Pashkova added 10 digs, while Feldman and freshman Justine Bowers (Dana Point, Calif.) each posted two service aces.
Abbie Trzeciak led the way for Providence with seven kills, while Nicole Fletcher added five smashes. Michelle Cruz chipped in 10 digs, as Jordan Wiesler posted 25 assists.
The Friars got off to a strong start in the first set, taking an early 6-2 lead before the Runnin' Bulldogs responded with an 8-3 spurt to claim a narrow 10-9 advantage on a Lillard kill. Gardner-Webb would continue to push the tempo over the next several minutes, stretching the lead to 18-13 with a Feldman dump before back-to-back kills by Montour and Kaelyn Dyson (Holly Springs, N.C.) capped the set at 25-18.
The Runnin' Bulldogs fought back from an early deficit again in the second, battling out of an early 10-5 hole to take an 18-14 lead on a smash from Cockrell. Providence would answer with a 7-3 spurt, evening the tally at 21-21 before Gardner-Webb countered with four straight points to close out the frame on back-to-back kills from Starr and Dyson.
Gardner-Webb would carry the momentum into the third, opening a cavernous 15-6 advantage following a 12-1 surge that was capped by a kill from Feldman. Providence battled back with a 10-7 run, trimming the margin to 22-16 on a Trzeciak kill before the Runnin' Bulldogs answered, closing out the set and the match following a Starr smash.
The Runnin' Bulldogs finish off the weekend on Saturday when they face host Niagara at 1:00 p.m. on the final day of the Purple Eagle Invitational.
