BOONE, N.C. --- Appalachian State hit .298 and committed just 13 attacking errors en route to a straight-set sweep of Gardner-Webb on Tuesday evening in non-conference action at the Holmes Convocation Center.
"Although it was a clean sweep, I felt we had some quality play," said head coach Leo Sayles. "Appalachian State is a very solid team and did a great job executing. They found our weakness and exploited it. We were decent defensively but have some work to do on our offense. Anna Pashkova had another strong defensive showing, and our middles hit well, but we just did not feed them the ball enough."
Appalachian State (3-1) won the match by scores of 25-17, 25-15 and 25-19, recording 41 kills and attacking at a .298 clip while holding Gardner-Webb (2-2) to 29 kills and a hitting percentage of .092. The Runnin' Bulldogs totaled eight blocks to the Mountaineers' five in the match.
Big South Conference Defensive Player of the Week Anna Pashkova (Iowa City, Iowa) continued her strong early season play with a match-high 17 digs, as Tyra Montour (Kennesaw, Ga.), Nicole Celarek (Bensenville, Ill.) and Kaelyn Dyson (Holly Springs, N.C.) each posted six kills.
Sydney Marshall (Norcross, Ga.) and Jene Lee (San Dimas, Calif.) added five and four kills, respectively, while Dyson recorded a match-high four blocks. Tinsley Fain (Boiling Springs, S.C.) dished out 17 assists for the Runnin' Bulldogs.
Ashton Gregory led the way with 12 kills and a .381 hitting percentage, while Vera Horstmann and Jess Keller each added nine kills. Paige Brown dished out 32 assists, while Meghan Mahoney recorded 12 digs.
Gardner-Webb started strong, scoring the six of the match's first nine points to take an early 6-3 lead before Appalachian State responded with a 9-2 surge, claiming a 12-8 advantage following a tandem stuff block by Shoff and Horstmann. The Runnin' Bulldogs fought back, closing the gap to 14-13 on back-to-back service aces by Bowers to cap a 5-2 spurt.
The Mountaineers countered with an 11-4 run, taking the first set by a 25-17 margin following an ace from Brown.
Appalachian State carried the momentum into the second, scoring six of the frame's first eight points to open an early 6-2 lead on a block by Gregory and Horstmann. Gardner-Webb would answer with a 7-4 spurt, cutting the margin to 10-9 on a smash by Lee before evening the score at 14-14 with a solo stuff from Dyson.
The Mountaineers responded with an 11-1 surge, claiming the set and a 2-0 lead in the match by a score of 25-15, as Appalachian State scored the final four points of the frame.
The two teams split the first eight points of the third, with Appalachian State breaking the 4-4 deadlock with a 10-3 run to open a 14-7 advantage on an ace by Olivia Reed. Gardner-Webb quickly answered with a 5-1 spurt, closing the gap to 15-12 with a block by Marshall and Celarek to force an Appalachian State timeout.
The Mountaineers countered with a 7-4 run, pushing the margin to 22-16 and after Gardner-Webb cut the lead to 22-19, closed out the set and the match with three straight points to seal the victory.
Gardner-Webb is back in action on Friday, September 4 when the Runnin' Bulldogs host Southeast Missouri State on the first day of the 2015 AmericInn Runnin' Bulldog Classic at 7:00 p.m. in Paul Porter Arena.
