NIAGARA, N.Y. --- Senior Tyler Cockrell (Tulsa, Okla.) recorded a match- and season-high 23 kills, and Heather Feldman (Eden, N.Y.) added a double-double with 56 assists and 24 digs, as Niagara edged Gardner-Webb in a thrilling five-set battle on Saturday at the Purple Eagle Invitational.
Niagara (3-4) won the match by scores of 20-25, 25-22, 25-22, 23-25 and 15-12, attacking at a .225 clip in the contest while holding Gardner-Webb (1-6) to a .182 hitting percentage. The teams combined for 130 kills, 160 digs, and 370 attacking attempts in the five-set marathon, as each squad tallied 13 blocks.
"I give Niagara all the credit for out-scrapping and outworking us on their home court," said head coach Leo Sayles. "You could see they wanted this game more than we did. We had a tremendous individual effort from Tyler Cockrell, but we did not play well defensively, allowing them to score at critical points. Teams have to be mentally tough to win on the road, and we were not able to assert our will or our pace on the game."
Cockrell led the way for Gardner-Webb with 23 kills on 41 attempts, attacking at a .415 clip while recording six blocks. Tyra Montour (Kennesaw, Ga.) added 15 kills, while Feldman turned in an outstanding individual performance with 56 assists and a career-high 24 digs.
Taylor Lillard (Victorville, Calif.) chipped in 10 kills, as Kaelyn Dyson (Holly Springs, N.C.) tallied eight blocks. Anna Pashkova (Iowa City, Iowa) and Katie Loftin (Ooltewah, Tenn.) recorded 18 and 10 digs, respectively.
Nicole Matheis paced the Purple Eagles with a double-double, recording 17 kills and 17 digs, as Amanda Sedore and Melissa McGwin each added 11 kills. Alexis Gray tallied a double-double of her own with 46 assists and 14 digs, while Sedore and Alex Stone chipped in 10 digs and nine blocks, respectively.
The match provided to be a tightly contest affair throughout, featuring 49 ties and 24 lead changes in five thrilling sets. Niagara recorded the first three points of the match before the Runnin' Bulldogs responded, scoring the next six to claim a 6-3 advantage on back-to-back kills from Dyson and Brianna Starr (Blue Springs, Mo.).
The Purple Eagles would counter with a 9-5 run, taking a narrow 12-11 lead before a 10-4 run from the Runnin' Bulldogs changed the tide, giving Gardner-Webb a 21-16 advantage following a Cockrell kill and a tandem block between the senior and Starr. After Niagara answered with a 4-1 spurt to trim the margin to 22-20, Gardner-Webb responded with three straight points, claiming the opening set on a smash by Montour.
With Gardner-Webb holding a narrow 10-9 lead in the second, Niagara responded with four straight points, claiming a 13-10 advantage following a Runnin' Bulldog miscue. Gardner-Webb quickly answered with a 9-6 spurt, opening a 19-16 margin on a kill by Cockrell. The Purple Eagles would counter with a 9-3 run of their own, evening the match at 1-1 following a Rayenne Hale smash.
The Runnin' Bulldogs battled back in the third, taking an early 9-7 lead on a kill from Starr. After Niagara countered with a 6-2 spurt, Gardner-Webb answered with a 5-1 run of its own, opening a 16-14 advantage with a Lillard smash.
The Purple Eagles would respond once again, pushing the Runnin' Bulldogs to set point at 24-20 on the heels of a 10-4 surge. Gardner-Webb fought off a pair of deciding points on a Sophia Esposito (Coroapolis, Pa.) kill and a Cockrell block before Niagara closed out the set with a Matheis smash to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Runnin' Bulldogs rallied from an early 8-5 deficit in the fourth, stringing together an 8-3 run to claim a 13-11 advantage on a solo stuff by Cockrell. Niagara would answer with a 7-3 spurt, retaking the lead at 18-16 before Gardner-Webb responded, scoring nine of the next 14 points to claim the set, 25-23, and send the match to a decisive fifth frame.
Niagara responded in the early moments of the fifth, taking a 7-4 lead before Gardner-Webb answered with four straight points to claim a narrow 8-7 advantage on a Montour smash. The Purple Eagles would counter with four straight of their own, opening a 12-8 margin following a Sedore kill.
After the Runnin' Bulldogs trimmed the advantage to 13-12 with a Lillard smash, Niagara's McGwin answered with back-to-back kills, sealing the set and the match for the Purple Eagles.
Gardner-Webb returns to action on Tuesday, when the Runnin' Bulldogs travel to Greenville, S.C. to take on Furman at 7:00 p.m.
