SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Gardner-Webb volleyball team picked up the win Friday night in dramatic fashion, defeating USC Upstate in a five-set nailbiter in Big South Conference play at the G.B. Hodge Center in Spartanburg, S.C.
 
Gardner-Webb (2-4, 2-4 Big South) dropped the opening set to USC Upstate (1-5, 1-5 Big South) by a 25-16 margin, but responded by claiming the following two sets by scores of 25-22 and 25-19.  The Spartans tied the match at 2-2 by taking set four, 25-21.  In the decisive fifth-set, the Runnin' Bulldogs jumped out to an early advantage and took the set, 15-9, to claim the overall match win.
 
The 'Dogs were solid on the attack all night, racking up 58 kills on 179 attempts for a .179 hitting percentage.  Kylee Garrison led the team with 14 kills on 40 attempts, attacking at a .175 clip.  Lauryn Rocassin had an outstanding evening on the attack with 12 smashes on 30 attempts, committing zero errors to attack at a .400 rate.
 
Tori Weatherley dished out a team-high 34 assists, while Sophia Bolden led GWU with 31 digs.  Delaney McCullough led the Runnin' Bulldogs on the block with two solo blocks and four block assists.
 
USC Upstate totaled 58 kills on 183 swings for a .169 hitting percentage, paced by Alexis Mareko with 15 kills on 26 attempts for a .423 hitting percentage.  She also led her team with five total blocks.
 
Emma McElveen led the Spartans with 27 assists, while Scout Hoffmeier had a team-high 25 digs.
 
With Friday night's win, the Runnin' Bulldogs have now won more Big South Conference matches in any season since 2016.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs return to Paul Porter Arena for their next bout, hosting UNC Asheville on Saturday, February 27 at noon.