ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Gardner-Webb (5-4) had three players reach double figures in kills as it defeated the Navy volleyball team (2-5) in four sets (25-21, 25-18, 23-25, 28-26), Friday night at the Wesley A. Brown Field House in Annapolis.

"The team had to dig deep today," said Navy head coach Paco Labrador.  "I can't say enough about how proud I am of their ability to stay in the fight and bring their competitive spirit no matter what's happening around them."

Set One
Navy seemingly was in decent shape as it took leads of 15-12 and 17-13.  The Mids then struggled a bit in serve receive and that allowed Gardner-Webb to take a 22-18 lead.  The Mids nearly clawed all of the way back to even as they pulled to within one point at 22-21, but the Bulldogs scored the next three points to claim the opening set.

Set Two
Gardner-Webb turned a slim 9-8 lead into a 17-9 advantage on its way to winning the set.  The Bulldogs hit just .146 in the frame, but held the Mids to a (-).050 mark on 10 kills and 12 attack errors.

Set Three
Navy built early leads of 6-2 and 13-7 before taking an 18-14 advantage. A 5-0 run by Gardner-Webb gave it a 19-18 lead.  The score would be tied at 19 and 20, then the Bulldogs took a 22-20 lead.  The teams exchanged the ensuing two points to make the score 23-21.  Farrah Eike, who led the Mids in kills in 2024 but was making her 2025 debut in the set due to an injury, powered down back-to-back kills to tie the score at 23-23.  A ace by Ava Toppin that fell just inside of the back line took the Mids to set point.  Toppin then had her ensuing serve hit the net and roll over onto the Gardner-Webb side of the court to force a fourth set.

Set Four
The frame would be tied 14 times and the lead change hands on six occasions.  This is after there were a total of 11 ties and seven lead changes through the first three sets.

Neither team held any kind of significant advantage during the stanza.  The score was tied at 17, 18 and 19, then the Bulldogs took a 21-19 lead.  The teams traded the next four points to give Gardner-Webb a 23-21 advantage.  An ace by the Bulldogs on the next point took them to match point with a 24-21 lead.  

An attack error by the Bulldogs, a block by the Mids and a kill by Eike quickly tied the score at 24-24.  The Bulldogs posted a kill to have a fourth match point (25-24), but it was erased on a kill from setter Arleigh Hanson.  Navy then took a 26-25 lead on a kill by Eike.  Gardner-Webb's Serena Kohler ended the next three points with kills to allow the Bulldogs to stave off the Navy rally.

Statistical Summary
Gardner-Webb had just four more kills than Navy, 57-53, but the Mids had eight more attack errors, 29-21, to lose the hitting percentage statistic, .228-.145.  

Eike and Ellen Gundlach each had nine kills, Anuhea Hauanio-Lore had eight and Toppin had seven.  Defensively, Amara Chambers grabbed 19 digs and Hanson produced 10 digs to go along with her 22 assists.  Additionally, Toppin finished with five blocks and Julia Humphrey had four blocks.

"We had a great crowd tonight that really energized us through our rallies in the third and fourth sets," said Labrador. "We will get some rest and get back to work tomorrow for a two-match day."

Up Next
Navy will close its non-league schedule Saturday with a 1 p.m. match against Le Moyne and a 7 p.m. match against Hampton.