Rock Hill, S.C. – Winthrop ended the regular-season on Senior Day/Homecoming by beating Gardner-Webb by a final score of 3-1 (25-23, 21-25, 25-23, 25-12).
Winthrop (13-12, 12-2 Big South) | Gardner-Webb (14-12, 8-6 Big South)
Nov. 11, 2023 | Winthrop Coliseum
Winthrop 3, Gardner-Webb 1 (25-23, 21-25, 25-23, 25-12)
How it Happened
Set 1 | Winthrop began the day with a quick 6-2 lead, with
Brookelynn Thomas notching two kills. The visitors responded with a 7-0 run to go up 9-6 only for the Eagles to storm back with an 8-3 run of their own to take a 14-12 lead.
Alicia Davis had two kills during the spurt. Gardner-Webb then scored five straight points to go back up by three. The back-and-forth set continued as Winthrop answered by scoring five of the next seven points to knot the score at 19. An error by Gardner-Webb on the next play put the Eagles ahead for good in the frame. Ahead by the same score, the Eagles finished the first set by scoring five of the last nine points to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Davis ended the set with a kill.
Set 2 | Winthrop started the second set with a 7-5 but Gardner-Webb scored six straight points to take an 11-7 lead. The visitors kept it going and went up 14-9 a few plays later. Gardner-Webb hung on to their slim lead for the next several plays until late in the set. Up 18-16, Gardner-Webb scored seven of the last 12 points to tie the match at one.
Set 3 | Winthrop came out hot to start the third set, taking a quick 13-7 lead. Thomas led the way with four kills in the early going. Gardner-Webb went on a 9-4 run to cut it to one at 17-16 but three straight errors by the visitors put Winthrop up 20-16. Gardner-Webb then went up 23-22 by scoring seven of the next nine points but the Eagles re-gained the lead in the match by scoring the last three points.
Set 4 | The Eagles began the fourth set much like the third, taking a 6-1 lead. The Eagles had three aces during the hot start, with two of them being by
Madison Gorniak. Winthrop kept it going, with
Avery Jolley notching four more kills and Gorniak tacking on another ace. The Eagles would eventually seize their largest lead of the set at 19-11 and went on to clinch the match a few plays later, sending the seniors out in style.
Statistical Leaders
Notables
- The Eagles have played 1,799 matches all-time as the program holds a mark of 1,071-728.
- The Eagles have clinched the second seed in the upcoming Big South Tournament.
- Winthrop led in points, kills, aces and assists.
- The two teams were deadlocked in blocks, 9-9.
- Jolley led the Eagles in kills with 19.
- Gorniak led the Eagles in aces with three and digs with 18.
- Isabella Murray led the Eagles in assists with 41.
- Thomas, Murray and Lexie Vick all had four blocks.
- Winthrop finishes 7-2 in the friendly confines of the Winthrop Coliseum.
- The Eagles enter the conference tournament with a winning record and having won their last three matches.
UP NEXT
Winthrop is the No. 2 seed and will play No. 3 seed Gardner-Webb next Saturday at 5:00 p.m. at the Millis Center on the campus of High Point University in North Carolina in the semifinals of the Big South Tournament. The tournament will be televised on ESPN+.
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