POSTGAME INTERVIEWS:
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Making its 2021 home debut on Tuesday night, the Gardner-Webb volleyball team matched the electricity of a passionate Runnin' Bulldog crowd packed inside Paul Porter Arena and swept Radford University, 3-0, in the opening of Big South Conference play this season.
Continuing to usher in the new era of Gardner-Webb volleyball under head coach
Eric Plunkett, the 'Dogs snapped a 14-match losing streak to Radford, a conference foe that has held GWU winless in head-to-head competition since 2013.
Gardner-Webb improves to 4-7 overall this season and 1-0 in the Big South, while the Highlanders fall to 2-11 (0-1 Big South).
Senior
Kylee Garrison led the Runnin' Bulldog attack with a match-high 14 kills, adding 13 digs along the way to cap off her second double-double in the last three matches.
Audrey Gun picked up another 12 kills, while
Delaney McCullough set a career personal best with nine kills on .353 hitting to go along with five blocks (three solo).
The GWU offensive onslaught consistently overpowered Radford throughout the match as the 'Dogs more than doubled the Highlanders in total kills, 45-20. The defensive effort also proved to match that of the offense with the 'Dogs out-digging the Highlanders, 53-35.
"The atmosphere was electric," said Plunkett during his postgame comments following the match. "I think we felt it. The players felt it for sure. I felt it on the bench. Kudos to the fans that came in and made this a tough place to play because that's what we want to do."
The Gardner-Webb faithful packing Paul Porter Arena had plenty of reasons to cheer beginning straight from the first set on Tuesday. The Runnin' Bulldogs sprinted to a 16-7 advantage following a 9-1 run before ultimately cruising to an easy 25-16 win to take the opening frame.
"It was crazy. The fans were awesome and the gym was super loud," said McCullough. "We wanted to compete at a really high level, and consistently, and I think the fans helped with that. It was really high energy.
But both of the next two sets warranted battles throughout, each of which featured late come-from-behind performances. After trailing 15-9 in set two, Gardner-Webb answered by winning 16 of the next 21 points, storming from behind for a comfortable 25-21 victory to go up 2-0.
In a back-and-forth third frame, one that proved to be the most competitive of the evening, the Runnin' Bulldogs trailed 15-11 before a 7-1 surge shot them ahead to a two-point edge, 18-16. The lead changed four additional times following this as each team raced towards 25 only to wind up all square at 24-24.
Though Radford was the first team to force a set point in game three, it was Gardner-Webb that once again prevailed thanks to three consecutive kills – one from
Lauryn Rocassin and two from
Audrey Gun – as GWU put a cap on its three-set sweep by outdueling the Highlanders, 26-24.
Now entrenched in the competitive Big South slate for the remainder of the season, Gardner-Webb will look to make it two wins in a row to open league competition when Winthrop travels to Boiling Springs for a 6 p.m. match this Friday, September 21 inside Paul Porter Arena.
