BOILING SPRINGS --- Southeast Missouri State committed just eight hitting errors, and posted an attack percentage of .299 en route to a straight set sweep of Gardner-Webb on the opening night of the AmericInn Runnin' Bulldog Classic on Friday night in Paul Porter Arena.
"I give SEMO credit for taking it to us and outplaying us on our home court," said head coach Leo Sayles. "They were a smart, disciplined team and capitalized on their opportunities. I felt our poor start jinxed us a little. Their runs to open the match and at the critical point of the second set held us at bay, and we could not seem to generate momentum of our own."
Southeast Missouri State (1-3) won the match by scores of 25-21, 25-19 and 25-15, posting 40 kills, 55 digs and 10 service aces while holding Gardner-Webb (2-3) to 34 kills and a .173 hitting percentage.
"It is unusual to see our blockers struggle, but I credit the SEMO hitters for that," continued Sayles. "We had some good offensive numbers going, but we cannot afford to drop 10 reception errors in a 3-set match. Our setters distribution was solid when given the opportunity, and hopefully we will build on that tomorrow. Nicole Celarek, Sydney Marshall, and Jene Lee are getting good swings, but we need to utilize their offensive strengths more to be victorious tomorrow."
Nicole Celarek (Bensenville, Ill.) led the way for Gardner-Webb with eight kills, while Kaelyn Dyson (Holly Springs, N.C.) and Sydney Marshall (Norcross, Ga.) each added six kills. Marshall tallied two blocks to go along with her .545 hitting percentage, as Jene Lee (San Dimas, Calif.) chipped in five kills and a .308 clip on the attack.
Justine Bowers (Dana Point, Calif.) and Tinsley Fain (Boiling Springs, S.C.) dished out 17 and 15 assists, respectively, as Anna Pashkova (Iowa City, Iowa) collected a match-high 19 digs to become just the second player in Gardner-Webb's Division I era to surpass the 1,800-dig mark for her career. Fain added 11 digs for a double-double.
Krissa Gearring paced the Redhawks with a match-high 12 kills, as Nzingha Clarke added nine smashes and a .500 hitting percentage. Madeline Grimm and Marie Less each chipped in eight kills, while Katarina Rotta posted a double-double with 33 assists and 12 digs. Jade Mortimer and Gearring tallied 15 and 11 digs, respectively.
Southeast Missouri State stormed out of the gate in the first set, taking an early 9-4 lead on back-to-back Gearring kills. Gardner-Webb answered with a 6-3 spurt, closing the gap to 12-10 before the Redhawks countered, stretching the advantage to 19-14 following a Gearring smash.
The Runnin' Bulldogs would respond once again, evening the tally at 19-19 following a Milstead kill before Southeast Missouri State answered with six of the next eight points, taking a 1-0 lead in the match on a smash from Clarke.
Gardner-Webb fought back early in the second, claiming an early 9-7 advantage on a kill by Tyra Montour (Kennesaw, Ga.). The Redhawks would quickly answer with a 12-6 run to open a 19-13 lead on a Grimm ace.
The Runnin' Bulldogs responded once again, closing the gap to 20-18 on a Taylor Lillard (Victorville, Calif.) smash before Southeast Missouri State regained control, closing out the set with a 5-1 spurt to take a 2-0 advantage in the contest.
The Redhawks carried the momentum into the third, opening a 12-7 lead on a Clarke smash before stretching the margin to 18-9 with a 5-0 surge. Gardner-Webb would fight back with four of the next six points, trimming the advantage to 20-13 following a smash from Devin Judge (Marietta, Ga.).
After Gardner-Webb closed the gap further with back-to-back points, Southeast Missouri State answered with four straight tallies, capping the set and the match with a block by Rotta and Grimm.
Gardner-Webb returns to action on Saturday, squaring off against The Citadel at 12:30 p.m. and USC Upstate at 7:00 p.m. to close out the AmericInn Runnin' Bulldog Classic in Paul Porter Arena.
