BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Gardner-Webb claimed a 3-1 victory over Presbyterian on Friday night in Paul Porter Arena setting school records in most consecutive conference wins and conference victories. The team's win streak is now at four and they now hold seven league triumphs.
"We know Presbyterian has a lot of arms that can score, so we knew we needed to defend at a high-level tonight," said Head Coach Eric Plunkett. "We were able to get a lot of touches on the ball to help our defense and highlight everyone doing their job well," said freshman libero Sophia Kotsovolos.
Gardner-Webb raced out to an early 8-2 lead in the first set, highlighted by three service aces from the Runnin' Bulldogs. Morgan Hornaday collected 12 assists and two service aces. A pair of kills by Mikayla Logan clinched the first set win for the 'Dogs. Presbyterian went on to win the second set, gaining an early advantage in it. GWU overcame a 15-11 deficit to tie it at 16, but the Blue Hose went on to win it 25-21.
In the third set, GWU broke a 3-3 tie by tallying six unanswered. Gardner-Webb didn't let PC draw closer than five the rest of the way. The 'Dogs netted five in a row bringing the lead to 23-11 and had another kill by Logan to seal the win in the third.
The Runnin' Bulldogs led by as many as seven in the fourth set dashing to a 16-9 lead. Presbyterian was able to draw within two at 17-19, but GWU went on to score six of the next seven to finish the match.
Delaney McCullough tallied the match-winning kill off a Hornaday assist.
Plunkett said, "After dropping the second set, I wasn't sure how we would respond, but it was great to see how we did in the third and fourth. We came back with consistency and attention to detail to close it out tonight."
On the attack, four Runnin' Bulldogs posted double-digit kills.
Kylee Garrison led the charge with 14 while adding seven digs. Avery Cole finished with 12, tying her most since September 29 at USC Upstate. Logan and McCullough had 11 kills apiece. McCullough hit 68.8% on the night, her second consecutive match over 50% and with more than 10 kills.
Kotsovolos ended the day with a game-high 23 digs and five service aces. Kayla Hawkins had 14 and
Sophia Bolden finished with nine digs. Hornaday had eight digs and 41 assists. This marked her third match-in-a-row posting an average of more than 10 assists per set.
Gardner-Webb returns to the court tomorrow for senior day with a key conference matchup against Winthrop. The first serve for the game is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. in Paul Porter Arena. The four Runnin' Bulldog seniors will be recognized following the conclusion of the game with a special celebration to follow in Hope Hall in the Tucker Student Center.
