MATCH 1 – Box Score
MATCH 2 – Box Score
 
LORETTO, Pa. – Fresh on the heels of a season-opening win Friday night, Gardner-Webb volleyball rounded out play at the Red Flash Classic with back-to-back matches on Saturday afternoon, with the Runnin' Bulldogs dropping bouts to Bucknell (2-0) and Bellarmine (2-1) to close out the opening weekend  of the 2022 regular season.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs (1-2) opened the day with a loss in straight sets to Bucknell (17-25, 23-25, 20-25) before immediately returning to the court to face Bellarmine, a match that ultimately resulted in a 3-1 outcome in favor of the Knights (19-25, 25-20, 16-25, 15-25).
 
"It was definitely a frustrating wrap-up to the tournament," said head coach Eric Plunkett. "Both Bucknell and Bellarmine won the serve and pass game against us, and that put a stress on our defense."
 
After hitting a strong .221 with 53 kills in a victory over Saint Francis on Friday night, Gardner-Webb was held to .135 hitting and 31 kills by Bucknell in the first action of the day, followed by an identical .135 percentage with 40 kills in the tournament finale against Bellarmine.
 
"We have glimpses of great offense, but we will just need to get more consistent with it," Plunkett continued. "This team is competitive and ready to grow, and I'm excited to get back in the gym next week and get better for a tough tournament next weekend at the Clemson Invitational."
 
Leading the attack for the Runnin' Bulldogs on Saturday were a pair of veterans in graduate students Mikayla Logan (Wexford, Pa. / North Allegheny HS / Eastern Kentucky) and Kylee Garrison (Huntersville, N.C. / Southlake Christian Academy).
 
Playing in only her second career game in the Red and Black, Logan collected a team-high 11 kills against Bucknell – three shy of a career-high – on just 26 attempts, good enough for a strong .346 hitting percentage. She also posted a team-leading three blocks. As for Garrison, she chipped in with eight kills of her own against the Bison before surpassing that total against the Knights with 13 kills on .267 hitting with seven digs and a block.
 
Other leading performances for Gardner-Webb included freshman Morgan Hornaday (Greenfield, Ind. / Greenfield-Central HS) dishing out 23 and 22 assists, respectively, and senior Sophia Bolden (Cleveland, Ohio / South Lyon East HS) posting 16 and 21 digs, the latter being the second-highest total of her career.
 
Freshman McKenna Timmerman (Crystal Lake, Ill. / Crystal Lake Central HS) also made an impact for GWU with five kills in the opening bout and another seven in the nightcap, while fellow classmate Emma Cross (Waukee, Iowa / Des Moines Christian HS) tacked on a combined nine kills and five blocks. Junior Delaney McCullough (Asheville, N.C. / A.C. Reynolds HS) combined for eight kills, four blocks and three service aces, while sophomore Kayla Hawkins (Durham, N.C. / North Raleigh Christian Academy) added a pair of aces of her own.
 
Gardner-Webb will now make the long trek back to Boiling Springs for a full week of practice before heading to its second of four nonconference tournaments next weekend at the Clemson Invitational. The Runnin' Bulldogs will once again face a trio of opponents over a two-day span that begins with a meeting against The Citadel on Friday, September 2 at 4:30 p.m. followed by clashes against Jacksonville State (11:30 a.m.) and Clemson (7 p.m.) on Saturday, September 3.