BOILING SPRINGS --- Gardner-Webb dropped a pair of hard-fought battles against the Citadel and USC Upstate on Saturday at the AmericInn Runnin' Bulldog Classic, falling to the Citadel in a five-set thriller before USC Upstate defeated the Runnin' Bulldogs in four sets to conclude the evening.
The Citadel (2-4) held on to edge Gardner-Webb (2-5) in five sets to start the day for the Runnin' Bulldogs, winning the match by scores of 24-26, 28-26, 25-22, 15-25 and 15-12. USC Upstate (7-0) finished off the night and clinched the tournament title with a 25-22, 20-25, 25-16 and 25-13 victory over the Runnin' Bulldogs in the final match of the day.
Anna Pashkova (Iowa City, Iowa) paced the Runnin' Bulldogs with 54 digs on the day, averaging an even 6.00 per set to earn a spot on the AmericInn Runnin' Bulldog Classic All-Tournament team. The senior libero is now just 17 digs shy of moving into first on the program's Division I career digs list, with 1,858 digs to her credit as a Runnin' Bulldog.
Jene Lee (San Dimas, Calif.) and Emma Milstead (Knoxville, Tenn.) led the way for Gardner-Webb with a total of 20 kills each, while Taylor Lillard (Victorville, Calif.) added 18 of her own. Milstead also recorded 27 digs, as Justine Bowers (Dana Point, Calif.) and Tinsley Fain (Boiling Springs, S.C.) dished out 47 and 22 assists, respectively.
Sydney Marshall (Norcross, Ga.) totaled 13 blocks, averaging 1.62 per set to go along with five service aces, as Bowers dropped in six aces.
The Citadel 3, Gardner-Webb 2 (Box Score)
Milstead paced the Runnin' Bulldogs with a double-double, accounting for 14 digs and 13 kills, while Lee and Lillard added 12 and 10 kills, respectively. Marshall was credited with a match- and career-high eight blocks in the contest, as Pashkova dug out 31 Citadel attacks. Bowers and Fain posted six and five aces, respectively, to each set a new career high.
Moriah Smith led the way for The Citadel with match-highs of 17 kills and 33 digs, as Megan Sowell and Bailey Kernodle added 15 and 14 kills, respectively. Rachel Keefer accounted for a double-double with 35 assists and 17 digs, as Samantha Espy posted 26 digs of her own. Dominique Williams was credited with six blocks in the contest.
The match proved to be a tightly contested affair, with 25 lead changes and 12 ties, including six lead changes and three even tallies in the final frame. Gardner-Webb rallied from set point in the first set, watching The Citadel battle back from a 21-15 deficit to take a 24-23 lead on a smash by Kernodle. The Runnin' Bulldogs would quickly answer with three straight points, taking a 1-0 lead in the match on back-to-back aces from Bowers.
The Citadel responded in the second, jumping out to an early 11-5 advantage before Gardner-Webb bounced back with a 14-5 run to claim a 19-16 margin. The Bulldogs answered right back, knotting the score at 20-20 and taking a 22-21 lead on a Sowell smash. The teams would trade points over the next several minutes, with The Citadel eventually fighting off set point at 26-25 and scoring three straight to even the match with a Williams kill.
The Bulldogs carried the momentum into the third, storming out of the gate with a 13-4 run. Gardner-Webb quickly settled down after that, stringing together a 16-7 stretch to close the gap to 22-20 on a perfectly timed tandem block by Lee and Milstead. The Citadel would answer with three of the next five points, capping the set with a Sowell smash to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Gardner-Webb countered with a surge of its own to open the fourth, jumping out to a 16-7 lead before sending the contest to a deciding fifth set on back-to-back aces from Fain.
The Citadel responded once again in the fifth, fighting back from an 8-5 deficit with a 7-1 surge to take a 12-9 lead on a block by Maureen Wilkinson and Sumerlyn Carruthers. Gardner-Webb kept fighting, closing the gap to 13-12 on a Dyson smash before The Citadel capped the set and the match with back-to-back kills from Smith and Sowell.
USC Upstate 3, Gardner-Webb 1 (Box Score)
Dyson led the way for Gardner-Webb with nine kills and a .562 hitting percentage, as Lillard and Lee each added eight kills. Pashkova posted 23 digs, while Marshall and Dyson tallied five and four blocks, respectively.
Madison Haake paced the Spartans with 18 kills and 12 digs, as Emily Koelling added 12 smashes. Shannon Weiss tallied 23 digs, as Callie Yeargin and Kaleigh Kelley recorded 15 and 13, respectively. Lexi Gober dished out 36 assists and dropped in four aces.
Upstate held on in the first set, watching Gardner-Webb whittle away at an early 7-3 lead and take a 20-16 advantage on a block by Lee and Celarek. The Spartans would quickly answer with a 9-2 surge, claiming the opening frame, 25-22, on a Haake smash to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The Runnin' Bulldogs responded in the second, jumping out to a 17-10 lead before Upstate countered with a 9-6 spurt to close the gap to 23-19. Gardner-Webb answered with two of the next three points, evening the match at 1-1 on a Lee smash.
Upstate fought back in the third, taking the set by a score of 25-16 after opening the frame with a 16-9 surge. The Spartans would carry the momentum into the fourth, starting the set with a 15-6 run before pushing the margin to 20-8 on a Gober ace. Upstate closed out the win from there, holding off a late push by the Runnin' Bulldogs to claim the set and the match on a block by Koelling and Alexa Lagaly.
Gardner-Webb returns to the court on Tuesday when the Runnin' Bulldogs host North Carolina Central at 7:00 pm in Paul Porter Arena.
