HAMPTON, Va. – Gardner-Webb was unable to hold off a Hampton rally, as the Runnin' Bulldogs drop the final two sets in a five-set decision to the Pirates in Big South Conference play on Saturday afternoon.
 
Gardner-Webb (7-16, 1-9 Big South) held a 2-1 advantage, taking sets one and three by scores of 25-18 and 25-14, while Hampton (7-13, 2-8 Big South) won the second set by a 25-23 score.  The Pirates would tie the match by taking set four, 25-19, and would go on to win the decisive fifth set by a 15-12 score.
 
GWU had 53 kills on 146 attempts for a .253 hitting percentage, while Hampton racked up 64 kills on 166 swings for a .217 attacking rate.
 
Hannah Lancaster paced the Gardner-Webb attack, collecting 13 kills.  Maria Emmick followed with 12 kills, while Hannah Donaldson had 10.  Amanda Sahm and Abbey Sprinkle each provided 21 assists on the day.
 
Charissa Coleman led the 'Dogs with 12 digs, followed by Kylee Garrison with 11.  Donaldson and Maya Jeffcoat-Troy each had a team-best five total blocks.
 
Hampton was led on the attack by Megann Delgado, who had a match-best 23 kills, with Lena Washington providing 13 kills and Kyndall Nicholas adding 11.  Lena Reed-Petracek and Brooklyn Irvin both added 25 assists.
 
Maja Petronijevic had a match-high 24 digs to lead the Pirates, while Nicholas led the team on the block with three total stuffs.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs return home to Paul Porter Arena for their next match, hosting USC Upstate on Friday, October 26.  The match is scheduled for a 7:00 pm start time with live coverage on ESPN+.