CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Sophomore Kaelyn Dyson (Holly Springs, N.C.) tallied 13 kills and 10 blocks, and Anna Pashkova (Iowa City, Iowa) accounted for 45 digs to lead Gardner-Webb to a split against University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and University of Alabama-Birmingham on Saturday afternoon at the 2015 Scenic City Showdown.
Chattanooga (6-2) defeated Gardner-Webb (4-7) in straight sets by scores of 25-18, 25-20 and 25-18 to start the day, before the Runnin' Bulldogs outlasted UAB (4-7) by scores of 25-20, 20-25, 25-23 and 27-25 to wrap up the weekend.
"We saw some fight from our players tonight against a strong UAB offense," said head coach Leo Sayles. "I'm very proud of the team effort. Even though we had to play without three starters this match, our depth paid off. Devin Judge stepped in and had a great match. Kaelyn Dyson was solid all weekend, and earned all-tournament honors for her effort. I like where we stand right now, and I'm just proud of the entire team."
Senior Tyra Montour (Kennesaw, Ga.) led the way for Gardner-Webb with 18 kills on the day, while Dyson added 13 smashes and 10 blocks. Devin Judge (Marietta, Ga.) and Nicole Celarek (Bensenville, Ill.) each posted 12 kills, while Pashkova pushed her weekend total to 60 digs. Pashkova now stands at 1,937 digs for her career, 116 digs shy of tying Linette Ramseur for first all-time in program history.
Justine Bowers (Dana Point, Calif.) dished out 64 assists on the day, while Amanda Sahm (Marion, Iowa) dropped in six service aces. Bowers and Katie Loftin (Ooltewah, Tenn.) each tallied four aces.
Chattanooga 3, Gardner-Webb 1 (Box Score)
The Mocs posted 44 kills and a .242 hitting percentage in the contest, while limiting Gardner-Webb to 33 smashes and a .136 clip on the attack. Chattanooga tallied 71 digs and five blocks, as the Runnin' Bulldogs recorded 60 digs and six stuffs.
Taylor Lillard (Victorville, Calif.) led the way for Gardner-Webb with 11 kills, while Montour added eight smashes and three blocks. Bowers dished out 27 assists and dropped in two aces, while Pashkova chipped in 13 digs. Sahm and Kacy O'Connor (Southport, N.C.) recorded 11 and 10 digs, respectively.
Allie Davenport paced the Mocs with a match-high 15 kills on 30 swings, hitting an even .500, while Sarah Batterton added nine kills. Catherine Chason tallied a contest-best 27 digs, as Briana Reed and Rachel Petkosh each posted 10 digs.
Chattanooga started off strong, opening an early 11-8 lead before pushing the margin to 18-14 with a smash by Lauren Gainer. After the Runnin' Bulldogs closed the gap to 18-16 on a Bowers ace, Chattanooga answered with a 7-2 run to claim a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Mocs carried the momentum into the second, stringing together a 15-7 run to open the set. Gardner-Webb would quickly respond with a 12-4 surge, evening the score at 19-19 following a smash by Lillard. Chattanooga answered right back with a 6-1 spurt, taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the match on a smash by Battlerton.
Davenport and the Mocs kicked off the third with a 10-6, including a 6-2 spurt to end the stretch following a Davenport smash. Gardner-Webb would trim the margin to 11-10 before Chattanooga answered, pushing the advantage to 20-12 on a kill by Davenport to cap a 9-1 surge. The Mocs would close out the win from there, holding off a late Gardner-Webb push to seal the victory.
Gardner-Webb 3, UAB 1 (Box Score)
Gardner-Webb and UAB combined for 114 kills and 373 attack attempts in just four sets in the Runnin' Bulldogs' final match of the weekend, with Gardner-Webb recording 51 kills, 77 digs and 10 blocks to go along with 13 service aces.
Judge led the way for Gardner-Webb with career-highs of 12 kills and four blocks, while Pashkova set a program-record for digs in a four-set match with 32. Dyson and Montour each tallied 10 kills, as Dyson also posted a match-high eight blocks. Bowers dished out 37 assists, while Loftin recorded three aces. Sahm chipped in career-highs of five aces and 14 digs.
Gabby Deshotel paced the Blazers with a match-high 26 kills while adding 14 digs to account for a double-double. Jillian Tinglin and Victoria Young posted 13 and 12 kills, respectively, as Young tallied seven blocks. Emma Schroer recorded a match-high 32 digs, while Amber Treace was responsible for a double-double with 50 assists and 16 digs.
Gardner-Webb rallied from an early 8-4 deficit in the first set, storming back to take a 17-13 lead on three straight aces from Loftin to cap a 13-5 run. UAB would cut the margin to 19-18 before the Runnin' Bulldogs regained control, closing out the set and claiming a 1-0 advantage in the match with a Dyson smash to finish a 6-2 spurt.
The Blazers returned the favor in the second, rallying from a 12-7 deficit with 11 of the next 13 points to claim an 18-14 advantage following a Young smash. After Gardner-Webb trimmed the margin to 22-19 with five of the next nine points, UAB answered with a 3-1 spurt to even the match on a Deshotel kill.
UAB carried the momentum into the early moments of the third, scoring the set's first five points before Gardner-Webb answered with a 13-8 run to even the tally at 13-13. The Runnin' Bulldogs would parlay the stretch into a 20-19 lead moments later, capping a 7-6 spurt with a Montour smash.
The Blazers countered with four of the next six points, snatching a narrow 23-22 advantage before Gardner-Webb answered with three straight tallies, claiming a 2-1 lead in the match on back-to-back blocks by Dyson and Bowers.
Alabama-Birmingham fought back in the fourth, rallying from a 13-11 deficit with four straight points to claim a 15-13 advantage on a Young smash. The Runnin' Bulldogs would answer with a 6-0 spurt, retaking the lead at 19-15 following three straight UAB miscues.
The Blazers responded once again moments later, stringing together a 9-4 spurt to push the Runnin' Bulldogs to set point at 24-23. Gardner-Webb refused to give in, scoring four of the next five points to escape a deciding fifth set and close out the victory on a block by Dyson and Judge.
Gardner-Webb returns to the court on Tuesday when the Runnin' Bulldogs host Furman at 7:00 pm in Paul Porter Arena.
