#2 Winthrop Sweeps #3 Gardner-Webb, 3-0, Advances to Championship Match
By Winthrop Athletics
High Point, N.C. – Winthrop defeated Gardner-Webb in the semifinals of the Big South Conference Tournament by a final score of 3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-18) Saturday afternoon at the Millis Athletic Center on the campus of High Point University.
BOX SCORE
How it Happened
Set 1 | Winthrop started the match with a 13-8 lead, forcing a GW timeout. The hot start had Riley Oglevie notching four kills, including three straight when the Eagles were up 8-7. The Eagles kept it going, eventually taking a 21-11 lead with an 8-3 run. Brookelynn Thomas had three kills during the spurt. Winthrop then clinched the first set a few plays later.
Set 2 | Tied at eight, Winthrop surged to an 18-13 lead on a 10-5 run. Gardner-Webb fought back to take a 19-18 lead by scoring the next six points. But the Eagles ended the set to take a 2-0 lead in the match by scoring seven of the last nine points. Isabella Murray ended the set with a kill.
Set 3 | The Runnin' Bulldogs took an early 6-1 lead, forcing a Winthrop timeout. The Eagles would cut it to 7-5 on two Avery Jolley kills but Gardner-Webb scored six of the next seven points to go up 13-6. The Eagles then rallied again with a huge 14-1 run to cut it to take a 20-14 edge. Winthrop would clinch the match a few plays later.
Isabella Murray had 1 ace, 1 block, 29 assists, 11 digs for the Eagles. Madison Gorniak recorded her 1,000th dig in the match. Thomas had a team-high 11 kills and blocks with three.
Winthrop advances to the title match tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. on ESPN+, facing the No. 1 seeded High Point Panthers on their home court.