SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Taking to the road for the first time in Big South play, Gardner-Webb surged to an early 2-0 lead and fended off a late USC Upstate push to earn its first league win with a thrilling five-set victory over the Spartans on Thursday night in Spartanburg, S.C.
The Runnin' Bulldogs (3-12; 1-2) raced to wins in the first two sets by scores of 25-20 and 25-18, respectively. After Upstate (3-12; 1-2) responded with 25-15 and 25-17 victories in games three and four, Gardner-Webb countered with a dominant 15-6 win in the fifth and final frame to cap off the road triumph.
"It feels great to get the first win in conference, especially on the road!" said head coach
Eric Plunkett. "It was really a back-and-forth match tonight. We were in a good rhythm in sets one and two, and then they got into a good rhythm in three and four. When it came to a fifth set, we wanted to be sure we came out as the aggressive team. We have been preaching to compete and execute under pressure all week long, and it's awesome to see the team step up in that way. We are looking forward to building upon this great win at home on Saturday!"
Three different Runnin' Bulldogs each led the team with 12 kills apiece, including
Mikayla Logan,
Kylee Garrison and
Avery Cole. Logan hit at a strong .360 clip on the night, and also posted a team-high six blocks, while Garrison added 19 digs to round out her fifth double-double of the season.
McKenna Timmerman also finished with nine kills, followed by
Delaney McCullough with eight.
Morgan Hornaday dished out 40 assists, and
Sophia Kotsovolos registered a career-high 31 digs, followed by 15 from
Kayla Hawkins, 14 from
Sophia Bolden and 11 from Hornaday to cap off a fourth double-double of her freshman campaign.
As a team, Gardner-Webb beat out the Spartans in kills (55-46), service aces (7-4), assists (51-40) and digs (99-86). The Runnin' Bulldogs hit .143 on the night to Upstate's .128 clip.
With its first Big South win notched, Gardner-Webb will look to make it two in a row when it welcomes UNC Asheville to Boiling Springs on Saturday, October 1. Opening serve is slated for 2 p.m. inside Paul Porter Arena.
