Box Score

Greeneville, Tenn.----The 24th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs defeated the Carson-Newman College Eagles 3-1 in the 2009 Food Lion SAC Tournament championship match, clinching Wingate’s fourth consecutive SAC Tournament title. The Bulldogs won by scores of 25-9, 23-25, 25-21 and 25-23 to improve to 34-1 overall. Carson-Newman falls to 22-9 on the year. Wingate has won 22 consecutive matches this season, and has now won 12 straight SAC Tournament contests.

Junior middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) led the Wingate attack with 18 kills and 10 digs. Junior outside hitter Lauren Billo (Orland Park, Ill.) added 13 kills for the Bulldogs. Junior middle blocker Rebecca Bloemer (Louisville, Ky.) and sophomore outside hitter Janice Ehorn (Orange, Conn.) chipped in with nine kills each. Sophomore setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) filled up the stat sheet with 47 assists, eight digs and six kills. Sophomore libero Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) collected 19 digs, while senior defensive specialist Brittany Horner (Roxboro, N.C.) added 16 digs.

Malone averaged 5.36 digs per set, earning Tournament MVP honors. Billo and Gale were also named to the All-SAC Tournament Team. Billo averaged 4.82 kills per set in the tournament, while hitting .385. Gale averaged 3.73 kills per set, along with 2.91 digs per set.

“We are proud of being able to win this particular championship,” head coach Shelton Collier says. “Carson-Newman is a very good team, and it was a great battle for both teams. We had a number of players step up and win key points for us at critical times, which is what we have done all year.

Junior outside hitter Carly Mozgai (Plain City, Ohio) led the Eagles with 14 kills. Sophomore middle hitter Nikki James (Cookeville, Tenn.) added 11 kills, while senior outside hitter Jessica Schachleiter (Cincinnati, Ohio) chipped in with seven kills. Senior setter Stephanie Cutter (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) notched 26 assists and 15 digs, while freshman libero Angelle Hayes (Brentwood, Tenn.) collected 19 digs.

The Bulldogs came out on fire, going on an 8-0 run to take a 15-3 lead in the first set. Billo and freshman middle blocker Grace Krauser (Louisville, Ky.) had two kills each to cap the spurt. The lead would stay in double figures the rest of the way, with freshman outside hitter Katie Handy (Palos Verdes, Calif.) capping it with a kill. Wingate hit .515 in the first set, with 19 kills and only two errors.

The Eagles bounced back in the second set to even the match. Kills from Gale and senior outside hitter Jacki Emmenecker (Perrysburg, Ohio) gave Wingate an 18-14 lead. Carson-Newman had the answer, taking a 22-20 lead on an ace from Mozgai, followed by a Wingate error. The Bulldogs fought back to tie it at 23 on a Billo kill. The Eagles clinched the set by scoring the final two points, capped by a kill from James.

Three kills from Gale helped Wingate jump out to a 6-0 lead in the third set. A kill from James cut the lead to 16-12. Kills from Billo and Ehorn made it 21-15. The lead would not go below three the rest of the way, as Gale finished the frame with a kill.

Kills from Bloemer and Ehorn put Wingate on top 19-17 in the final set. The Eagles fought back to tie it at 20 on a Mozgai kill. A Billo kill, followed by a block from Billo and Krauser made it 23-20. The Eagles cut it to 23-22 on a kill from Mozgai. The Bulldogs again turned to Billo, who gave Wingate a 24-22 lead with a kill. Another Billo kill would finish the match and clinch the title.

The Bulldogs hit .295 for the match, with 70 kills against 19 errors in 173 attacks. The Eagles hit .194, collecting 50 kills against 19 errors in 160 attacks.

Wingate gets the league’s automatic bid for the 2009 NCAA Tournament. The bracket will be released Sunday night at 8 p.m. The top team in the region, the Bulldogs have a strong chance to host the Southeast Regional Tournament for the second consecutive year. 

(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.)