Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University volleyball team travels to Tennessee this weekend to play two key South Atlantic Conference matches. The Bulldogs enter the weekend 18-1 overall and 6-0 in the SAC. Wingate plays at Carson-Newman Friday night at 6:30 p.m. The Eagles are alone in third place at 11-5 overall and 5-1 in the conference. The Bulldogs take on Lincoln Memorial Saturday at 4 p.m. The Railsplitters are tied for first place in the SAC at 14-2 overall and 6-0 in the league.

“Our players know this will be one of the most challenging weekends of our entire season,” head coach Shelton Collier says. “They are looking forward to a couple of very exciting matches. We have been working hard in practice, and we expect to play well in what is certain to be a tough road trip.”

Wingate has won 36 consecutive SAC matches, dating back to the 2007 season. The Bulldogs have compiled an overall record of 82-5 since the start of the ’07 season, good for a .943 winning percentage which leads all of Division II. The Bulldogs have won 62 of their last 64 regular season matches and have dropped only seven sets in 19 matches this season. Wingate has won three consecutive South Atlantic Conference regular season and tournament titles.

In their most recent contest, the Bulldogs won 3-1 at Newberry. Junior middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) led the way, racking up 22 kills, 17 digs and four blocks while hitting .388. Junior outside hitter Lauren Billo (Orland Park, Ill.) added 11 kills while sophomore setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) handed out 41 assists and sophomore libero Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) collected 20 digs.

Billo and Gale rank one and two in the SAC with 3.39 and 3.38 kills, respectively. The duo also rank two and three in the league in hitting percentage, led by Gale’s .323 percentage while Billo is hitting .314. Willis leads the league with 9.88 assists per set, while Malone ranks seventh with 4.05 digs and sixth with 0.41 aces per set. As a team, Wingate leads the SAC in kills, hitting percentage, opponents hitting percentage, assists, and aces. Nationally, the Bulldogs are in the top 25 in five different categories. They rank fourth with a .947 winning percentage and eighth with 13.38 assists per set. Wingate is 10th in the nation with 14.34 kills per set and 11th with a .274 hitting percentage.

The Bulldogs and Eagles met twice during the 2008 season, with Wingate winning both matches 3-0. Gale had nine kills and five digs in the first meeting while Willis added a double-double with 28 assists and 11 digs. Gale had 13 kills and 10 digs in the second meeting, while Billo added 11 kills and hit .323 for the match.

Senior middle blocker Katie Troyer (Plain City, Ohio) leads the Carson-Newman attack this year, ranking fifth in the SAC with 2.96 kills per set. Senior outside hitter Jessica Schachleiter (Cincinnati, Ohio) is eighth in the league with 2.67 kills per set. Senior setter Stephanie Cutter (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) is fourth in the league with 8.51 assists per set, while freshman libero Angelle Hayes (Brentwood, Tenn.) is sixth with 4.29 digs per set. As a team, the Eagles are second in the SAC in kills, assists and blocks.

The Bulldogs and Railsplitters met three times last season; the final matchup was in the championship game of the Food Lion SAC Tournament. The Bulldogs claimed a thrilling 3-2 win in the first meeting in Wingate. Gale, Billo and sophomore outside hitter Janice Ehorn (Orange, Conn.) had 12 kills each to lead the attack. Willis had 43 assists while Malone collected 17 digs. Senior outside hitter Amanda Horenkamp (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) led LMU with 16 kills and 17 digs. Wingate won 3-1 at Lincoln Memorial in the second meeting, after dropping the first set. Billo led the way with 13 kills, while Gale added 10 kills and 16 digs. Malone tied a school record with 36 digs while Willis had 46 assists and 11 digs. Horenkamp had nine kills and 23 digs for LMU. Wingate won 3-0 in the championship match, hitting .360 as a team. Gale had 12 kills on her way to earning tournament MVP honors.

Sophomore outside hitter Candace Richardson (Houston, Texas) leads Lincoln Memorial and is sixth in the SAC with 2.81 kills per set. Horenkamp ranks seventh in the SAC with 2.78 kills per set, while ranking second in the league with 4.55 digs per set. Senior libero Alicia MacIntyre (Muncie, Ind.) is fourth in the SAC with 4.42 digs per set. LMU leads the SAC in digs, while ranking second in opponents hitting percentage and third in kills, hitting percentage, assists and blocks.