Strong start not enough for Bucs in five-set loss - Charleston Southern University

Friday, October 1

Boiling Springs, NC

6 PM

Charleston Southern University Athletics

5-8,1-2Big South

Gardner-Webb

5-8,2-1Big South

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Charleston So.	25	19	19	25	13	2
Gardner-Webb	19	25	25	22	15	3

Photo by: Jim Killian/CSU Sports

10/1/2021 9:14:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Paige Reagor had a match-high 24 kills Friday night, but Gardner-Webb erased a strong start for Charleston Southern in a five-set win over the Bucs (19-25, 25-19, 25-19, 22-25, 15-13) inside Paul Porter Arena.

Reagor hit .500 in the match and also had seven blocks, including two solo. Peyton Thompson (18 kills, 12 digs) and Emma Minnick (51 assists, 11 digs) recorded double-doubles for the second straight game, while Ashleigh Holweger and Angelika Rusin each set new career highs in digs with 26 and 18, respectively.

Charleston Southern jumped out to a quick start, with Reagor notching seven kills in the opening set to lead the Bucs to a 25-19 win to begin the match. Gardner-Webb recovered and took a 2-1 lead with identical 25-19 wins in the second and third sets, hitting nearly .400 in both sets.

The Bucs found themselves in a hole in the fourth, trailing 13-8 and with all the momentum in GWU's favor. CSU then rattled off 10 of the next 12 points, getting significant contributions from both Reagor and Thompson during the run. Gardner-Webb rallied to tie the set late, but Thompson ended the fourth with a kill and an ace on back-to-back points to extend the match for CSU.

Reagor led the Bucs to a roaring start in the fifth set, playing a role in each of CSU's first five points. After taking four of the first five points, the Bucs found themselves on the wrong end of a five-point run. CSU rallied to tie the set at 11-all, but a pair of late attack errors proved costly, allowing Gardner-Webb to win the match.

News and Notes

Charleston Southern tied its season high of 62 kills, while its 58 assists in the match are a season high.
Paige Reagor's 24 kills are a season high and marked the first time this season she eclipsed the 20-kill mark.
Emma Minnick had her first 50-assist match of the season and the fourth of her career.
Friday's loss was Charleston Southern's first five-set loss of the season. The Bucs were previously 3-0 in five-set matches this season.
All three of CSU's service aces came in the fourth set.

Up Next
The Bucs continue their three-match Big South road trip Saturday at Winthrop, with first serve set for 2 p.m.