'Cats Open Season with 3-0 Win Over Gardner-Webb

Tuesday, August 28

Davidson, N.C.

7:00 pm

Davidson College Athletics

1-0

Gardner-Webb

0-4

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Gardner-Webb	13	18	23	0
Davidson	25	25	25	3

Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com

'Cats Open Season with 3-0 Win Over Gardner-Webb

8/28/2012 9:51:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

By: Ashley Bailey

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Video Highlights

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Preseason All-SoCon honoree Caroline Brown paved the way as the Davidson College volleyball team opened the season by downing the Runnin' Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb in straight sets, 3-0, on Tuesday evening at Belk Arena. The 'Cats picked up the win with set scores of 25-13, 25-18 and 25-23.

Brown picked up right were she left off last season, finishing the night with a team-high 12 kills. She added in 13 digs – nine of which came in the first set – for a double-double and also had a service ace.

Ariel Ley had 30 assists and eight digs, leading the team with two aces in the match while Megan Chamberlin and Taylor Pisel had eight kills apiece. Making her career debut, Hannah Rau led the team in hitting percentage at.400 and had eight digs on the night.    Libero Jenna Ptaschinski had a match-high 15 digs, while Tindall Sewell recorded a block for the 'Cats.

For the Runnin' Bulldogs, Carol Solano recorded a team-high seven digs, with Heather Feldman contributing 24 assists and 10 digs for a double-double. Anna Pashkova had a match-high 15 digs. Tiffany Cockrell had four block assists and a block solo.

After trading points to an 8-8 tie in the first set, the Wildcats scored 11 straight points, including two kills from Rau and an ace by Brown. Pisel scored with a kill to put the 'Cats up 21-9 before recording an ace to stretch the lead to 13 at 23-10.    An attacking error by GWU's Cockrell finished things off as Davidson dominated the first set 25-13.

The 'Cats jumped out to an 8-2 lead on four attacking errors by the Runnin' Bulldogs, and back-to-back kills from Brown kept them ahead 15-10.    The Davidson lead would only increase from then on with a kill by Sewell ended the set at 25-18 in favor of the 'Cats.

Gardner-Webb wouldn't go down without a fight; keeping things close in the third and final set. A kill by Brown gave Davidson an early 3-0 lead, but the Runnin' Bulldogs tied things up at 6-6 before a kill by Callie Hildebrand gave them a 7-6 lead.    Kills by Pisel and Brown, along with an attacking error by GWU, tied the set at 10-10 but a Davidson attacking error would give Gardner-Webb the 14-12 advantage. Four straight points by the 'Cats tied things once again at 16-16, and they battled on to take a 22-19 lead on an ace by Chamberlin.   Two more kills from Brown would help the 'Cats finish off the set for the 25-23 win and the 3-0 win in the match.

The Wildcats will head to Winston-Salem, N.C., this weekend to take part in the Wake Forest Invitational, hosted by the Demon Deacons Aug. 31 through Sept. 1. They will face Winthrop in a 4:30 p.m. match on Friday before a tilt with host Wake Forest at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. The 'Cats will then wrap things up with a 4:30 p.m. contest with UNC Wilmington later that afternoon.