CLINTON, S.C. – The Presbyterian College Blue Hose volleyball team (5-12, 1-3) took down the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs (3-14, 1-2) after a thrilling straight set victory (26-24, 25-23, 25-22).
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST SET
The first set saw a back-and-forth battle, with both teams trading points early. Elyse Hutchinson and Julia Yurkovich combined for a key block, followed by a powerful kill from Anna Baranski, tying the score at 2-2. Despite a strong kill from Ashley Miller, Gardner-Webb gained momentum, winning four of the next five points to take a 6-3 lead.
 
Baranski sparked a comeback with another well-placed kill, which set up a string of points for PC. Courtney Williams and Brittney Daphnis followed up with kills, while Daphnis added another as Gardner-Webb stretched their lead to 10-7. However, the Blue Hose responded, taking five of the next six points. Williams, Hutchinson, and Baranski contributed with kills, and Amaris Alvarez added a service ace, giving PC a narrow 12-11 advantage.
 
Although Hutchinson and Daphnis continued to deliver offensively, the Runnin' Bulldogs edged ahead, reaching the media timeout with a 15-14 lead.
 
Coming out of the break, Presbyterian seized control. Daphnis fired off a kill, and Hutchinson delivered a powerful solo block, forcing Gardner-Webb to call a timeout. The Bulldogs regrouped and tied the set at 19-19, prompting PC to use their first timeout of the match.
 
After the timeout, Gardner-Webb pulled ahead, claiming four of the next five points for a 22-20 lead. But the Blue Hose fought back, with Miller hammering down a crucial kill to even the score at 23-23. Gardner-Webb reached set point at 24-23, leading PC to call their final timeout of the set.
 
Refusing to back down, Daphnis kept Presbyterian in the fight with another kill, and the Blue Hose gained the upper hand after Williams and Daphnis teamed up for a pivotal block. Yurkovich sealed the deal with a decisive kill, giving PC a hard-fought 26-24 victory in the first set.
 
SECOND SET
Gardner-Webb started the second set strong, claiming the first three points before Williams put PC on the board with a forceful kill. The Runnin' Bulldogs extended their lead to 7-2 after taking four of the next five points. However, Presbyterian responded, narrowing the gap to 7-5 with a three-point surge, led by a kill from Baranski.
 
Gardner-Webb quickly regained control, winning four consecutive points to extend their lead to 11-5. Miller halted their streak with a kill, but Gardner-Webb answered with another quick strike. Williams and Yurkovich stepped up with kills to help PC score three unanswered points, cutting the deficit to 12-9.
 
After Gardner-Webb claimed two more points, Yurkovich delivered another strong kill, keeping the Blue Hose within four. The Runnin' Bulldogs carried their momentum into the media timeout, leading 15-10.
 
Coming out of the break, Presbyterian chipped away at the lead. Hutchinson, Yurkovich, and Miller led the offense, contributing to a six-point run that brought PC within one at 17-16. Daphnis then delivered a critical kill, tying the set at 18-18 and forcing Gardner-Webb to call a timeout.
 
The tie persisted at 19-19, as Daphnis added another kill, followed by a Miller service ace, putting PC ahead 21-19. Gardner-Webb responded after their timeout, taking the next two points to even the score once again at 21-21.
 
The Blue Hose regained the lead at 22-21 after a powerful kill from Williams, but the Runnin' Bulldogs quickly tied it up again at 22-22. Presbyterian called a timeout after Gardner-Webb went ahead 23-22.
 
Following the break, an attack error by the Runnin' Bulldogs leveled the score at 23-23. Hutchinson came through with a clutch block, putting PC at set point, and she teamed up with Yurkovich for another block to seal a 25-23 victory.
 
THIRD SET
Presbyterian came out firing in the third set, capitalizing on some impressive serving from Celimar Hoyos, who delivered a pair of service aces to help the Blue Hose race to a 5-0 start. Gardner-Webb got on the board, but Hutchinson responded with a powerful kill, extending PC's lead to 6-1. The Runnin' Bulldogs then found their rhythm, taking five of the next six points to cut Presbyterian's lead to 7-6.
 
A kill from Miller kept the Blue Hose in front, and a well-placed strike from Daphnis extended the lead to 9-6. Despite a kill from Baranski, Gardner-Webb closed the gap again, making it a one-point game at 10-9. The teams traded points, with PC holding a slim 14-13 advantage, fueled by two kills from Yurkovich and another from Williams.
 
Presbyterian then took three of the next four points, thanks to kills from Hutchinson and Miller. But Gardner-Webb answered with a four-point run of their own, taking an 18-17 lead. After a Presbyterian timeout, Miller tied the score with a kill, and moments later, she teamed up with Daphnis for a block to reclaim the lead at 19-18. Gardner-Webb quickly responded, knotting the score at 19-19.
 
A service ace from the Runnin' Bulldogs gave them a slight edge, but Williams came through with a kill and followed it up by combining with Daphnis for a block, putting PC ahead 21-20. Gardner-Webb tied it again at 21-21, but Williams once again delivered a clutch kill, and a Runnin' Bulldogs attack error pushed the Blue Hose ahead 23-21.
 
Gardner-Webb kept it close with a kill, pulling within one, but Williams stepped up with a decisive kill to bring up set point at 24-22. Hutchinson closed out the set with a decisive final attack, securing a 25-22 win and completing Presbyterian's dominant sweep of the match.

NOTABLES
- Williams recorded 10 kills while hitting at .364 percent and adding a pair of blocks.
- Daphnis took eight kills at an impressive .636 hitting percentage while adding four blocks.
- Baranski finished with 29 assists, five kills, and six digs.
- Hoyos added 15 digs and two service aces.
- The Blue Hose took more kills (43-36), blocks (9-5), and assists (38-35) than their opponents.



UP NEXT
The Blue Hose will hit the road for a match against Charleston Southern on Wednesday, October 15 at 6:00 p.m.