HARRISONBURG, Va. – Kaelyn Dyson would have 23 kills on 40 attempts, but a furious comeback effort by Gardner-Webb would fall short as the Runnin' Bulldogs would drop a five-set decision to Sacred Heart on Saturday afternoon at the JMU Classic hosted by James Madison University.
 
"We lost a hard-fought match to a gritty SHU team," said GWU head coach Leo Sayes after the match.  "I am proud of the fighting spirit we showed in the last three sets, but we just need to bring that same spirit into the opening set.  Finishing the first set makes a big difference in a match like this.  Kaelyn Dyson was unstoppable, and I am very pleased with her outstanding play.  Hopefully we will take another step forward this upcoming weekend."
 
Gardner-Webb (1-2) attacked at a .199 clip, totaling 56 kills, 61 digs, and 18 blocks.  Sacred Heart (1-2) had a .115 hitting percentage with 60 kills, 74 digs, and eight blocks.
 
Dyson led the Runnin' Bulldogs with 23 kills, while she also had seven blocks.  Keira Moore led the squad with 11 blocks, while Emma Milstead had a team-high 21 digs.
 
Makayla Dole led Sacred Heart with 19 kills, while Rianna McNamee had five blocks and Madi Pope had 30 digs.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs would jump out to an early 5-2 lead in the opening set after a block by Dyson and Nicole Celarek, and would push the lead to as high as five points at 10-5 after a block by Keira Moore and Joy Rhodes.  Sacred Heart would respond with four unanswered points to pull within one point at 10-9, and would then go on a 12-5 run to take a 21-15 lead and control of the set.  GWU would rally with a 9-3 run to tie the set at 24-24, but the Pioneers would score the next to points to take the opening set by a score of 26-24.
 
Gardner-Webb would take an early 4-0 advantage at the onset of the second set, but Sacred Heart would go on a 9-4 run to tie to take a 9-8 lead.  The two squads would trade the next handful of points, with the score tied at 13-13, until the Pioneers would score six straight points to take a 19-13 lead.  Sacred Heart would go on to take a 25-20 set win and a 2-0 overall advantage into intermission.
 
The third set began with a pair of quick runs, as SHU would jump out to a quick 5-1 lead, but GWU would respond with a 4-1 run to tie the set at 6-6.  The Runnin' Bulldogs would then go on a 6-1 run to take a 12-7 lead after a handful of attack errors by the Pioneers.  After a kill by Celarek would give GWU a 16-10 advantage, Sacred Heart would go on an 11-1 run to take a 21-17 lead.  SHU would get within a point of taking the set and overall win at 24-19, but the Runnin' Bulldogs would fight back, scoring seven unanswered points, highlighted by three kills by Dyson, to take the set by a 26-24 score.
 
Play was even at the onset of the fourth set, as neither team would lead by more than two points until GWU would go on an 8-2 run to take a five point lead at 19-14.  The Runnin' Bulldogs would push their lead to as high as eight points at 24-16 after a kill by Moore and would go on to take the set by that margin at 25-17 to force a decisive fifth set.
 
The final set was tightly contested, as it had eight ties and five lead changes.  Gardner-Webb would slowly build a three-point advantage at 12-9 after a block by Celarek and Moore, and would come within one point of taking the match at 14-12 after a block by Dyson and Elizabeth Griffith.  Sacred Heart would answer, scoring four straight points to take the set, 16-14, and the overall match win.
 
Gardner-Webb returns to action on Friday, September 1 at 11:00 am as the Runnin' Bulldogs host North Carolina Central in the opening match of the 2017 AmericInn Runnin' Bulldog Classic.  Other schools competing in the two-day tournament include USC Upstate and Wofford.