RADFORD, Va. --- Anna Pashkova (Iowa City, Iowa) recorded a match-high 28 digs to become Gardner-Webb's all-time leader, as Radford rallied from a six-point deficit in the fourth set to complete a 3-1 comeback victory in Big South Conference play on Saturday afternoon.
Radford (8-8, 1-2 Big South) won the match by scores of 19-25, 25-23, 25-18 and 29-27, registering 49 kills and a .162 hitting percentage while holding Gardner-Webb (4-14, 0-3 Big South) to a .118 clip on the attack.
Pashkova proved to be the story of the day for Gardner-Webb, as the senior libero wrote her name atop the program record book midway through the third set with her 2,054th career dig – moving past the previous mark of 2,053 set by Linette Ramseur.
The Iowa City, Iowa native finished the night with a match-high 28 digs and currently has 2,064 career digs to her credit, a mark which ranks fourth all-time in the Big South record book.
Tyra Montour (Kennesaw, Ga.) paced the Runnin' Bulldog attack with 10 kills, as Sydney Marshall (Norcross, Ga.), Jene Lee (San Dimas, Calif.) and Kaelyn Dyson (Holly Springs, N.C.) each added eight smashes. Marshall and Dyson both accounted for five blocks, while Justine Bowers (Dana Point, Calif.) dished out 30 assists and dropped in two aces.
Megan Short led the way for Radford with 16 kills on 32 swings, hitting an even .500, while Taylor Bourbas added seven kills and a match-high seven blocks. Savanna Burton and Valerie Gonzalez each posted eight kills, as Haley Keespies dished out 43 assists and tallied 12 digs. Kelby Jackson recorded a team-high 21 digs.
Gardner-Webb came out strong in the first set, opening a 13-7 lead on a smash by Keira Moore (Spartanburg, S.C.) to cap a 3-1 spurt. After Radford closed the gap to 14-11, the Runnin' Bulldogs countered with five of the next seven points to claim a 19-13 advantage following a Marshall kill.
Radford quickly countered with five straight points, closing the gap to 19-18 on an ace from Kaylor Nash. Gardner-Webb would answer moments later, scoring six of the next seven to stop the bleeding and take a 1-0 lead in the match on back-to-back Radford miscues.
The teams would battle throughout the second set, with neither side holding more than a three-point advantage at any point during the frame. With Radford holding a 15-13 advantage midway through the set, Gardner-Webb strung together an 8-5 run to claim a 21-20 lead following an ace from Katie Loftin (Ooltewah, Tenn.).
The Highlanders quickly answered with five of the next seven points, rallying to even the match at 1-1 on a set-ending smash by Burton.
Radford carried the momentum into the third, extending a 12-8 lead into an 18-12 margin midway through the set following a smash from Short. The Runnin' Bulldogs would answer with a 4-1 spurt, closing the gap to 19-16 before the Highlanders countered with a 6-2 run to finish the set and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Gardner-Webb stormed back early in the fourth set, opening the frame with a 13-6 run that was capped by back-to-back aces from Bowers. Radford would whittle away over the next several minutes, cutting the margin to 19-17 following a Gonzalez kill to finish off an 11-6 spurt.
After Radford trimmed the lead further to 21-20, the Runnin' Bulldogs quickly countered with back-to-back points to close to within two tallies of forcing a deciding fifth set. The Highlanders refused to give in, battling back to even the tally at 24-24 after Marshall pushed Radford to set point with a kill.
The teams would trade tallies for the next several minutes, with both squads staving off multiple set points before the Highlanders answered a Taylor Lillard (Victorville, Calif.) smash with back-to-back points, capping the frame and the match on a Gardner-Webb miscue.
Gardner-Webb returns to the court on Friday, October 9 when the Runnin' Bulldogs host Presbyterian College at 7:00 pm in Paul Porter Arena.
