Date Posted: 11/15/2007

MACON, Ga. – Gardner-Webb fought back from a 2-0 deficit in the opening match of the 2007 Atlantic Sun Volleyball Championship to take game three, but Jacksonville dominated the Bulldogs in game four, sealing the victory and advancing into the semifinals for the fourth consecutive season with a 30-27, 30-27, 32-34, 30-17 win.

Gardner-Webb fought off a match point at 32-31 and scored the final three points in game three to extend the match, but the Dolphin defense tightened down in game four, blocking four Bulldogs attacks, digging 30 balls and limiting Gardner-Webb to -.061 hitting percentage. Three Dolphins collected four kills in the frame as Jacksonville cruised to the 30-17 match-clinching victory.

“We’re a young team,” said JU head coach Shaun Kupferberg. “We got back to basics in game four. We have a lot of freshman out on the court, and we’re still learning how to put our opponents away.”

Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team performer Aidan Yeager led the way for the Dolphins with 16 kills, followed by All-Atlantic Sun Second-Team selection Sara Bendorf’s 15 and fellow All-Freshman honoree Abby Gruenbacher’s 13. All-Atlantic Sun First-Team pick Melissa Merchant tied the Atlantic Sun single-season blocks mark with seven blocks on the evening. She now sits at 159 blocks for 2007, equaling Georgia State’s Ana Paula Ferreira’s 2003 mark. All-Freshman pick Hannah Munneke directed the Dolphin attack, distributing a match-high 55 assists in the match.

Trailing 29-21 in the opening stanza, the Bulldogs fought off six game points to pull within two, but Merchant short-circuited the Gardner-Webb rally with her fourth kill of the frame, staking JU to a 1-0 lead.

Yeager amassed seven kills in game two, leading Jacksonville to another 30-27 victory, and putting the Dolphins one frame from the semifinals.

Jacksonville will face ETSU in the next round in a rematch of last season’s five-game epic semifinal battle. The Dolphins fought off three game four match points last season en route to the 3-2 upset of the top seeded Lady Buccaneers.

Gardner-Webb’s Ashley Pridgeon led all attackers with 23 kills on the night in the losing effort.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is a 12-member league committed to Building Winners for Life, with a focus on academic and athletic integrity and a balance between the two for the student-athlete, and maintaining a high level of sportsmanship. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun encompasses six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun consists of some of the most dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Gardner-Webb University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Related Links:
 • Championship Coverage