2013 AVCA honorable mention All-American setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) was named the SAC Tournament MVP on Sunday, leading the 12th-ranked Bulldogs to their ninth consecutive SAC Tournament title. Cooke averaged 11.9 assists and 3.6 digs per set in the three matches, adding eight kills, seven blocks and two aces.
Cooke started her week with 28 assists and nine digs in the sweep over Newberry, adding four kills in five attempts to hit .800 on the day. She had 36 assists, nine digs and four blocks in the sweep over Lenoir-Rhyne in the SAC Tournament semifinals. Cooke capped her week with 43 assists, 14 digs, three blocks and three kills in the sweep over Anderson.
The first team All-SAC selection leads the conference with 10.53 assists per set, adding 2.60 digs per set to go along with 77 kills and a .398 hitting percentage. Cooke runs a Wingate offense that ranks fifth nationally in hitting percentage, 12th in kills per set and 14th in assists per sets. Cooke and the Bulldogs will be the number one seed in this week’s NCAA Southeast Regional Tournament, which begins Thursday in Cuddy Arena. Wingate has won two consecutive regional titles and three in the last four years.