BOILING SPRINGS --- Taylor Lillard (Victorville, Calif.) tallied 17 kills and sophomore Sydney Marshall (Norcross, Ga.) set a new program record for blocks in a five-set match with 12, as Gardner-Webb established a new school-record with 18 total blocks and held on for a thrilling five-set victory over Winthrop on Saturday afternoon in Big South Conference play.
"I am thrilled to see the team pull together again and play with some grit in the fifth set," said head coach Leo Sayles. "After playing nearly flawless in sets 1-2, it became a dogfight – Winthrop is too good a program to go down without fighting. We lost our edge in the serve and pass game, allowing Winthrop to play in system in sets three and four, but not passing well ourselves. The girls definitely put together a much better game in the fifth and held off a late surge."
Gardner-Webb (6-14, 2-3 Big South) won the match by scores of 27-25, 25-20, 21-25, 20-25 and 15-12, attacking at a .241 clip while holding Winthrop (8-12, 3-2 Big South) to a hitting percentage of .183. The Runnin' Bulldogs combined for 52 kills, 60 digs and a school-record 18 blocks – including eight solo stuffs – which surpasses the previous mark set against Weber State on September 11, 2010.
The Eagles accounted for 68 kills, 72 digs, 11 service aces and eight blocks.
Lillard led the way for Gardner-Webb with 17 kills and a .333 hitting percentage, chipping in four blocks and six digs, as Marshall put down eight kills and set a program record for blocks in a five-set match with 12 – which also ties the overall single-match record set by former standout Tyler Cockrell on November 12, 2011 agianst Radford.
Kaelyn Dyson (Holly Springs, N.C.) added 11 kills and five blocks, while Jene Lee (San Dimas, Calif.) recorded seven kills and two blocks. Anna Pashkova (Iowa City, Iowa) accounted for a match-high 27 digs to move past the 2,100-mark for her career, as Justine Bowers (Dana Point, Calif.) posted 37 assists, five digs, four blocks and four aces.
"Taylor Lillard was fantastic all weekend. Her grit and fighting spirit is a big lift to the team. Sydney Marshall and our blocking core were tremendous all weekend. I am so pleased with the defensive effort tonight! It is unbelievable to look at the stats and realize we still came out with a victory. This win is a big confidence builder, and keeps us in the hunt in conference play."
Lourdes Rosario paced the Eagles with a match-high 22 kills to go along with 14 digs, as Emma Weakland added 18 kills and four blocks. Rachel Lenz chipped in eight kills and five blocks, while Dorien Den Otter and Madilyn McCarty dished out 33 and 26 assists, respectively. Maria Volstad recorded 25 digs for the Eagles.
Gardner-Webb rallied from an early 5-3 deficit in the first set, stringing together an 8-4 run to claim a 14-9 advantage following a Dyson smash. After Winthrop fought back to take a narrow 17-16 lead, the Runnin' Bulldogs countered with a 6-0 spurt of their own to open a 22-17 margin on an ace from Bowers.
Winthrop quickly answered with a 7-1 surge, pushing Gardner-Webb to a pair of set points at 24-23 and 25-24 before Gardner-Webb responded with three straight, claiming the set and a 1-0 lead in the match on a Marshall smash.
The Runnin' Bulldogs carried the momentum into the second, taking an early 11-8 lead before four straight points by the Eagles put Winthrop in front, 12-11, on a Weakland kill. Gardner-Webb quickly responded with a 10-7 run, reclaiming the lead at 21-19 before answering a Rosario kill with five straight points to cap the set on a smash from Lillard.
Winthrop responded in a big way in the third set, opening the frame with a 5-1 spurt that included a timely block by Lenz and Weakland. Gardner-Webb would answer with a 15-8 run, taking a 16-13 lead on a Pashkova service ace before Winthrop countered with five straight to claim an 18-16 advantage.
The Eagles kept pushing, extending the margin to 23-17 on back-to-back kills from Weakland and holding off a late GWU rally to cut the Runnin' Bulldogs lead to 2-1.
Winthrop carried the momentum into the fourth, scoring six of the first seven points and taking a 19-13 lead late in the frame through a Lenz ace. The Runnin' Bulldogs showed great fight over the remainder of the set, battling back to cut the margin to 22-20 before Winthrop closed out the frame and forced a decisive fifth set with three straight points.
The Runnin' Bulldogs answered the call in the fifth, breaking a 4-4 tie with a 10-4 run to push Winthrop to match point following a record-breaking block by Bowers and Marshall. Winthrop refused to give in, fighting off four match points before hitting it into the net and sealing the gritty victory for the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Gardner-Webb is back in action on Wednesday, October 14 when the Runnin' Bulldogs travel to Durham, N.C. to take on North Carolina Central at 7:00 p.m. The Runnin' Bulldogs won the first leg of the season's home-and-home series, 3-1, on September 8.
