Volleyball | 9/2/2015 9:05:00 PM

Wingate, N.C.----The 16th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs welcomed one of the top-ranked teams in the world to Cuddy Arena Wednesday night, facing the Italian Junior National Team in front of a full house in an international volleyball exhibition. The teams played five sets, with Italy prevailing in the first four and the Bulldogs winning the fifth set 15-13. Italy took the first four sets by scores of 25-15, 25-20, 25-18 and 25-12.

"This was a very special and unique opportunity for our players and our entire university," head coach Shelton Collier says. "We had a great crowd and it was awesome having it as an ESPN3 event. Several of those Italy players will be in the 2020 Olympics and we were so pleased to host such a special event."

Senior right-side hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) had 10 kills, nine digs and seven aces to lead the Wingate attack. Freshman outside hitter Hannah Givens (Greensburg, Ky.) added nine kills, hitting .421 in three sets of action. Junior All-American Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) contributed eight kills, five digs and three blocks, while freshman outside hitter Oakley Attaway (Bell Isle, Fla.) collected six kills, three digs and an ace. Senior Iris Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio) handed out 28 assists, while sophomore Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) and freshman Kimberly Hovey (Raleigh, N.C.) collected 10 digs apiece.

Paola Egonu had 14 kills, 13 digs and five aces to lead the Italy attack, hitting .462. Anna Nicoletti added 11 kills with a .474 hitting percentage, while Beatrice Berti and Anna Danesi contributed seven kills each. Alessia Orro handed out 24 assists, while Chiara De Bortoli had 14 digs.

Back-to-back Egonu aces gave Italy a 10-4 lead in the opening set, while a Danesi kill and Anastasia Guerra ace made it 18-7. A Saehler kill and Stumpff ace trimmed the lead to nine, while Attaway kill trimmed the deficit to eight at 23-15. A Danesi kill and Wingate error finished the opening set.

A Kill from Anna Nicoletti made it 7-4 in set two, but two Saehler kills and a Stumpff ace tied the frame. A kill and a block from Saehler put the Bulldogs on top 12-9, while Brewer's kill stretched the lead to four. Italy battled back to the frame at 16 on a Bonifacio kill, while an Egonu ace gave the Italians a 20-17 lead. A kill and an ace from Bonifacio made it 24-20, while Danesi capped the frame with a kill.

Kills from Danesi and Guerra gave Italy a 10-4 lead in set three. A kill and an ace from Stumpff, along with a Tyler Smith (Aiken, S.C.) kill cut the lead to four at 14-10. A Kill from Sofia D'Odorico made it 18-12, but a Givens kill and Stumpff ace cut the lead to three. A Guerra killed pushed the advantage back to five, but a Saehler kill got Wingate back within three at 21-18. Kills from Zanette and Guerra made it 24-18, while Italy claimed the set on a Wingate error.

A Berti ace helped Italy jump out to a 10-4 advantage in the fourth set. Kills from Attaway and Givens cut the lead to five, but Italy used a 7-0 run to take a 23-9 advantage. Egonu had a kill and an ace in the flurry. A Wingate error ended set four.

Back-to-back Stumpff aces gave the Bulldogs a 6-4 lead in set five. A Berti ace and Guerra kill put Italy on top 8-7, but kills from Saehler and Givens helped Wingate go on top 10-9. Danesi tied the set at 10 with a kill, but a Givens kill and Italy error put the 'Dogs on top 12-10. Back-to-back Stumpff kills put Wingate on top 14-12. An Egonu kill made it 14-13, but Brewer responded with a kill to give the Bulldogs the set. Wingate hit .600 in the final frame, compiling nine kills without committing an error.

The Bulldogs open regular season play Friday at the Georgia College Tournament. Wingate will face Columbus State and Limestone Friday, while taking on Shorter and Georgia College Saturday. The Bulldogs return home Tuesday for a tri-match, hosting UNC Pembroke and Erskine.