Box Score

Greeneville, Tenn.----The 24th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs topped Catawba College 3-1 in semifinal action of the 2009 Food Lion SAC Tournament Saturday afternoon at Pioneer Arena. Wingate won by scores of 28-30, 25-22, 25-19 and 31-29 to advance to its fourth consecutive SAC Tournament championship match. The Bulldogs have now won 21 straight matches this season, and have won 11 consecutive SAC Tournament matches overall.

Junior outside hitter Lauren Billo (Orland Park, Ill.) piled up a career-high 22 kills to go along with four blocks while hitting .391 to lead the Wingate attack. Billo now has 40 kills in the two SAC Tournament matches. Junior middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) added 14 kills, 15 digs and five blocks for the Bulldogs. Freshman middle blocker Grace Krauser (Louisville, Ky.) added a career-high 12 kills to go along with five blocks, while junior middle blocker Rebecca Bloemer (Louisville, Ky.) chipped in with 11 kills.

Junior setter Amanda Clark (Timberlake, N.C.) compiled 36 assists and 18 digs, while sophomore setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) added 18 assists and nine digs. Sophomore libero Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) collected a team-high 30 digs for the Bulldogs.

“We have recently had a couple of amazing wins, when it looked like it could have very easily gone the other way,” Wingate head coach Shelton Collier says. “We have had to dodge some bullets to keep winning, but we are very excited that we will have a chance to play for the championship Sunday. We used just about every lineup combination possible today, and had a lot of players step up at critical points for us.”

Sophomore outside hitter Shay Meeks (Kings Mountain, N.C.) notched a match-high 24 digs for Catawba. Freshman outside hitter Kaitlyn Whitmer (Ferrum, Va.) added 14 kills and 16 digs for the Catawba Indians, while sophomore middle blocker Taylor Doss (Boonville, N.C.) chipped in with nine kills. Freshman setter Jordan Raye (Boonville, N.C.) handed out 41 assists to go with 16 digs, while senior libero Mai Zoua Lo (Hickory, N.C.) collected a match-high 34 digs.

A Whitmer kill, followed by Wingate error put Catawba on top 21-15 in the first set. The Bulldogs answered with three straight points, capped by a kill from senior outside hitter Jacki Emmenecker  (Perrysburg, Ohio) to make it 21-18. A Meeks kill gave the Catawba Indians a 23-20 advantage. The Bulldogs had the answer again, scoring four straight points to take a 24-23 lead. Gale had a kill and two blocks in the spurt. Meeks answered with a kill to tie it at 25. The teams would trade points until a kill from Whitmer made it 29-28. Catawba finished the set on a Wingate error.

Back-to-back kills from Billo gave Wingate a 16-11 lead in the second set. An ace from Lo, followed by a Wingate error cut the lead to 17-16. A kill from Emmenecker, along with a block from Emmenecker and Bloemer put Wingate on top 20-17. Catawba again trimmed the lead to two at 23-21 on a Wingate error. The Bulldogs answered with kills from Billo and Krauser to finish the set and even the match.

Wingate jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the third set, getting two kills and two blocks from Krauser. The Bulldogs held onto the lead throughout the match, with kills from Bloemer and Gale making it 20-14. Catawba would cut it to two at 21-19 on a kill from Doss, but Wingate responded by scoring the final four points of the set, capped by an ace from Emmenecker.

The final frame would stay tight throughout, featuring 14 ties and seven lead changes. A 5-0 run gave Wingate a 22-17 lead. Billo sparked the spurt with two kills, while Krauser capped it with a kill. Catawba again fought back, scoring four straight points to tie it at 24. Gale answered with a kill, while Catawba came right back with a kill from Meeks. The teams would trade points until a Bloemer kill gave the Bulldogs a 30-29 lead. Krauser and Bloemer finished the set with a block.

Wingate hit .192 for the match, with 68 kills and 28 errors in 208 attacks. Catawba hit .179, collecting 57 kills against 22 errors in 196 attacks. The Bulldogs had seven aces on the day, led by Malone with three. Wingate also racked up 11 blocks, led by Krauser and Gale with five each.

The Bulldogs will look for their fourth consecutive SAC Tournament title Sunday afternoon, as they take on the winner of the Carson-Newman vs. Lincoln Memorial match at 2 p.m.

(Wingate University assistant sports information director Hugh Patton wrote this article. Patton is a 2006 Wingate graduate with a B.A. degree in Communication Studies.)