ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Fresh off a weekend sweep to match its best start to Big South competition since 2013, Gardner-Webb University volleyball took to the road for the first time in league play on Friday, falling for the first time in its last three matches with a 3-0 defeat to UNC Asheville inside the Justice Center.
 
After beginning the conference slate at 3-1, the Runnin' Bulldogs move to 3-2 in the Big South this season and 6-9 overall. Asheville improves to 4-10 overall with the win and 2-3 against league opponents.
 
Gardner-Webb hit .128 for the match with 34 kills on 109 attacks, while UNCA registered 40 kills and a season-high .302 hitting percentage to increase its win streak to seven in a row over GWU. 
 
Kylee Garrison paced the 'Dogs with 11 kills on .348 hitting, five digs, one block and one service ace. Makena Phillips followed with nine kills and two blocks, Mikah McIntosh recorded 14 digs, and Lauryn Rocassin and Tori Weatherley tallied 16 and 14 assists, respectively. Delaney McCullough also posted a team-high three blocks for GWU. 
 
Competing on the road for the first time since Sept. 18, Gardner-Webb jumped out to a fast 9-5 lead behind a 5-0 run that forced UNC Asheville head coach Frederico Santos into calling his first timeout of the evening. Santos' Bulldogs responded following the break, storming out to a 15-9 advantage thanks to a 10-0 run of their own before racing towards a 25-20 victory in the opening frame. 
 
Led by kills from Audrey Gun and Garrison, followed then by a service ace from Gun, the Runnin' Bulldogs again got off to a fast start at the onset of the frame. However, a three-point edge quickly evaporated for GWU as UNCA tied the game at 7-7 prior to using a 9-2 run to go ahead by six, 15-9. The Bulldogs held steady from that point on, leading by as much as 10 en route to a 25-15 win in set two to go up 2-0. 
 
Looking to extend the match and force a fourth game, Gardner-Webb fell behind early as Asheville won the first five points. A resilient Runnin' Bulldogs team responded back with a 6-0 run nearly midway through, clawing back to within one, 13-12, but the home team powered through the surge from the 'Dogs and immediately answered with a 4-0 run of its own to reclaim a five-point advantage. GWU was able to cut its deficit at one point to just three, but UNCA continued to press on its way to its second sweep of the season.
 
Still searching for its first road win of the season, Gardner-Webb will look to take down USC Upstate tomorrow, October 10 at 2 p.m. in Spartanburg, S.C.