BOILING SPRINGS --- Kaelyn Dyson (Holly Springs, N.C.) continued her torrid form with a match-high 11 kills, and Kacy O'Connor (Sourthport, N.C.) added a career-best five service aces to lead Gardner-Webb to a straight set sweep of South Carolina State on Saturday afternoon as the Runnin' Bulldogs ran their win streak to five matches.

Gardner-Webb (9-14) won the match by scores of 25-8, 25-23 and 25-22, registering 32 kills, 12 aces and seven blocks while holding South Carolina State (2-14) to 23 kills and five blocks.

"I am certainly pleased that we were able to hang on for another sweep," said head coach Leo Sayles. "I think the big win in set one caused some players to relax a little, and SCSU settled down in set two. The result was two tight sets. For us, I think we learned a little about ourselves and saw that we can still pull out close sets."

Dyson led all hitters with 11 kills and a .455 hitting percentage, adding a match-high four blocks as Tyra Montour (Kennesaw, Ga.) tallied eight kills of her own. Jene Lee (San Dimas, Calif.) and Taylor Lillard (Victorville, Calif.) each recorded five kills, while Justine Bowers (Dana Point, Calif.) dished out 27 assists and dropped in four aces.

O'Connor turned in a career performance, recording 10 digs and a career-high five service aces – all in the first set – while Anna Pashkova (Iowa City, Iowa) posted 11 digs.

"We must continue to improve on offense," continued Sayles. "We need to do a better job producing points. But we did play to our strengths with tough serving, great blocking and solid floor defense."

Marissa Lawrence paced South Carolina State with 10 kills and nine digs, while Marcella Chestnut and Ashante Finnie added 13 and 11 digs, respectively. Kirby Anderson chipped in five kills and four blocks for the Bulldogs.

Gardner-Webb seized control early in the first set, opening the frame with a 16-3 surge that included a combined five aces from O'Connor and Amanda Sahm (Marion, Iowa). The Runnin' Bulldogs would close out the set from there, finishing the frame with a 9-5 run to take a 1-0 lead in the match following back-to-back O'Connor aces and a Montour smash.

South Carolina State battled back in the second set, rallying from a 9-3 deficit with 10 of the next 13 points to claim a narrow 13-12 advantage. The Runnin' Bulldogs quickly countered with an 8-1 run, retaking the lead at 20-14 on a Montour smash.

Anderson and the Bulldogs would respond with a 9-3 run of their own, pulling within one at 23-22 following back-to-back stuff blocks by Anderson and Shandice Sluch. Gardner-Webb regained control moments later, scoring two of the next three points to escape with a 25-23 second set victory and a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Bulldogs kept fighting in the third, clawing back from an early 10-3 deficit to open a 13-12 advantage on the heels of a 10-2 run. After Gardner-Webb answered with a 10-3 spurt of its own, South Carolina State responded with four straight points to trim the margin to 22-20 following a pair of Runnin' Bulldog miscues.

South Carolina State continued to edge closer over the next several minutes, closing the gap to 23-22 on a Sluch kill to prompt a Gardner-Webb timeout. The Runnin' Bulldogs answered with back-to-back points out of the break, squelching the rally and completing the sweep following a Keira Moore (Spartanburg, S.C.) kill.

Gardner-Webb will resume its Big South Conference slate next Friday, October 23 in Conway, S.C. against league-leading Coastal Carolina at 7:00 pm.