POSTGAME INTERVIEWS:
LINK: Kylee Garrison
LINK: Head Coach Eric Plunkett
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Taking on one of the Big South's top teams in front of an energetic home crowd on Friday night, the Gardner-Webb volleyball team suffered its first loss in league play this season, a 3-0 defeat to Winthrop University inside Paul Porter Arena.
Now two games into the league slate, Gardner-Webb moves to 4-8 (1-1 Big South) while Winthrop improves to 6-5 (1-0 Big South) following its conference-opening victory.
The Runnin' Bulldogs held their own against a strong Winthrop team, threatening to steal a pair of sets in frames one and three. Ultimately, the Eagles would win all three, 25-21, 25-16, 25-23.
"Winthrop is a good team," said head coach
Eric Plunkett. "I thought we scouted pretty well. I thought we knew what was coming at us, but they executed really well. They have a lot of arms on their side – a lot of people to worry about – and I think we're still learning as a team to be able to play our game within our scout."
Kylee Garrison led the 'Dogs for the second-straight match with 12 kills on a team-high .229 hitting.
Lauryn Rocassin just missed out on her second triple-double of the season with 13 assists, 13 digs and eight kills, and
Mikah McIntosh tallied 21 kills to surpass 20 digs in a match for the fifth time this season.
Gardner-Webb hit .062 as a team with 23 kills, three service aces, four blocks and 59 digs. Winthrop attacked at a .130 clip, gathering 36 kills, seven aces and 10 blocks.
"I think that today was a big growing experience for our players," continued Plunkett. "We took steps in the right direction today. I know it doesn't feel that way on the scoreboard, but that's a Winthrop teams that's really strong. I think this sets the tone for what the rest of conference is potentially going to be – that battle every single night. I think that's going to be important for us to go from."
Fresh off a three-set sweep of Radford on Tuesday night, only its second sweep of a conference opponent since 2016, Gardner-Webb fell behind early as Winthrop gained, and then sustained, a five-point advantage in the opening frame. Training 17-12, the Eagles went out to stretch their lead all the way to seven, 22-15, before the 'Dogs battled back with a 6-2 run that ultimately fell short.
Following a quick second set that saw the Eagles race off to a 25-16 win, GWU gave Winthrop all that it could handle in a third frame that featured 11 ties and four lead changes. After going down 15-9, the Runnin' Bulldogs countered with a rapid 5-0 run, while another 4-0 run later on from the 'Dogs helped erase another deficit to tie the score at 19-19. A kill from
Audrey Gun soon thereafter helped boost Gardner-Webb to its first lead, 23-22, but the Eagles answered with three consecutive points to finish off the match with a 3-0 victory.
Winthrop, who also holds three-set sweeps over Akron, Virginia, ETSU and Charlotte this season, will host the 'Dogs for a rematch on November 10 in Rock Hill, S.C.
As for its next time out, Gardner-Webb will enjoy its third consecutive home match as the Runnin' Bulldogs get set to host Charleston Southern on Friday, October 1 at 6 p.m. inside Paul Porter Arena.
