POSTGAME INTERVIEWS:
LINK: Head Coach Eric Plunkett
LINK: S/OH Lauryn Rocassin
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Hitting the court for the second Big South Conference match in as many days, the Gardner-Webb University volleyball team took control early with wins in the opening two sets before capping off a weekend sweep on Saturday with a 3-1 win over Presbyterian College inside Paul Porter Arena.
The victory for the rising Gardner-Webb (6-8; 3-1 Big South) program was its second over Presbyterian (6-7; 1-2 Big South) since 2016. With two wins this weekend, the Runnin' Bulldogs have now started its conference slate at 3-1 for the first time since the 2013 season.
For the second consecutive match,
Lauryn Rocassin finished one dig away from a triple-double as the senior once again filled the stat line with 13 kills, 23 assists and nine digs.
Kylee Garrison notched her third double-double of the season with 13 kills and 17 digs, while also tacking on four blocks (one solo),
Mikah McIntosh hit 30 digs for the second time on the year and
Audrey Gun tied a career-high with five service aces to go with seven kills.
Hannah Donaldson added nine kills and three blocks (one solo) for the 'Dogs,
Delaney McCullough tallied six kills and a team-high five blocks, and
Makena Phillips registered another seven kills and one block.
Tori Weatherley matched Rocassin with 23 assists, while
Sophia Bolden chipped in with 13 digs of her own.
As a team, Gardner-Webb hit .139 for the match with 55 kills on 165 attacks. GWU held PC to just .102 hitting 41 kills on 166 attempts.
"What it came down to for us I think was late-game execution. I think it was a battle," said Gardner-Webb head coach
Eric Plunkett. "I don't know if there was really any big separation in any set, but it was neck-and-neck all the way through. I think when you get to that point, when you get to 20 points, it's the team that's the more disciplined and the more aggressive, and I think we were able to execute that at a high level in three out of the four sets."
Fresh off a thrilling five-set win a night ago against Charleston Southern, the Runnin' Bulldogs hit their stride midway through set one as Gun kickstarted a 6-0 GWU run behind a pair of aces and two kills from Rocassin. Storming back from two down to take a two-point lead, the 'Dogs powered past the Blue Hose with another 5-0 run to take it, 25-22.
Like the opening frame, sets two and three also each went down to the wire. After going down 22-21 in the second set, a kill from Donaldson launched a 4-0 run as back-to-back aces from Gun once again sealed the win for GWU, 25-22. Presbyterian held onto its lead in the third frame, however, fending off the 'Dogs to make it a 2-1 match with a 25-23 victory to continue the match.
It was all 'Dogs in set four, however, using a 4-0 run to take an 8-3 lead in which it would ultimately refuse to relinquish. While the Blue Hose managed to claw their way back and tie the set on two separate occasions, including at 18-18, timely answers from Gardner-Webb – including two kills from Gun and another from Phillips – allowed the home team to pull back ahead late and take the fourth and final set, 25-21.
With the victory, the Runnin' Bulldogs are now one of four teams in the Big South with at least three wins. GWU currently sits in fourth-place in the conference standings behind High Point, Winthrop and Campbell, all three of whom hold a 4-0 record in league play.
With its four-match homestand now in the books, Gardner-Webb will once again return to the road next weekend when it travels to face UNC Asheville on Friday, October 8 at 6 p.m.
