BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University volleyball team won the first two sets before host Gardner-Webb University heated up its attack for a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory in the opening match of the AmericInn Runnin' Bulldog Classic Friday.
 
Junior Kierra Shipman ripped eight of her 10 kills in the first two sets and the Lady Eagles hit .263 over that span to grab the commanding advantage. GWU only hit .110 in the first two periods before firing at a .319 clip over the course of its rally. The Runnin' Bulldogs also held NCCU to negative hitting percentage over that three-set stretch.
 
Gardner-Webb leveled its record at 2-2 and NCCU remained winless at 0-4.
 
NCCU HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
Shipman spiked 10 kills, which was just one shy of her career-high that she set early in her freshman season. Shipman added seven digs, three aces and two blocks.
 
Fellow juniors Whitney White and Erika Ianovale balanced NCCU's offense with nine kills apiece. Freshman Da'Nesha Miller tacked on seven kills as the quartet accounted for 35 of the squad's 37 kills.
 
Senior setter Paige Phillips was one dig shy of her second double-double of the season as she finished with 30 assists and nine digs. Freshman Nahir Berrios Laguerre made her first start at the libero position and she collected a match-high 22 digs. Freshman McKayla Young totaled a match-high four blocks.
 
GARDNER-WEBB HIGHLIGHTS & STATS:
The Runnin' Bulldogs had three players reach double-digit kills. Junior Kiera Moore led the way with 14 kills; sophomore Molly Johnston logged 12 kills; and freshman Joy Rhodes chipped in 10.
 
Junior Amanda Sahm set up GWU's offense that finished the match hitting .232 with 39 assists.
 
SET-BY-SET:
1ST:  An ace by Berrios Laguerre and a kill by White gave NCCU a 12-10 advantage to break open a close set, which started a decisive 9-3 run. Shipman rattled off three of her five kills in the set during the surge. An ace by Phillips, the third by the Lady Eagles, extended the visitors cushion to 21-14 before taking the opener by six points. NCCU hit .281 in the game.
 
2ND: The set featured 14 ties and eight lead changes. White ripped two consecutive kills to put NCCU ahead for good at 19-17. Berrios Laguerre, who made 10 digs in the period, served up her second ace on set point to clinch the three-point win.
 
3RD: Gardner-Webb quickly doubled up NCCU, 8-4, but the Lady Eagles came out of a timeout with a 4-0 run to knot the score. Shipman capped the rally with two straight aces. The two teams remained tied at the midway point, 13-13, before the Runnin' Bulldogs won five consecutive points to race ahead, 18-13 and eventually winning by six. GWU hit a whopping .480 in the set to cut the deficit in half.
 
4TH: A kill by Ianovale had NCCU up 9-8, but the Runnin' Bulldogs barked back with a 5-0 rally to leapfrog ahead 13-9. Gardner-Webb maintained a lead before leveling the match at 2-all with the seven-point triumph.
 
5TH: The Lady Eagles jumped ahead early in the race to 15 points at 3-1, but the Runnin' Bulldogs pulled ahead 8-6 as the two teams switched sides. NCCU evened the score for a fourth time after a kill by White and an ace by Shipman, but two straight kills by Gardner-Webb put the hosts in front again and they pulled away for the clinching four-point victory.
 
UP NEXT:
NCCU continues play in the AmericInn Runnin' Bulldog Classic against Wofford College on Friday at 4 p.m.