Wingate, N.C.----The 23rd-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs host a pair of SAC matches this weekend. Wingate will host second place Carson-Newman College Friday night at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs will host third place Lincoln Memorial Saturday at 4 p.m. Saturday’s match is Senior Day, where the Bulldogs will honor four seniors in a ceremony before the contest.

Wingate enters the weekend 29-1 overall, riding a 17-match winning streak. The Bulldogs clinched their fourth consecutive regular season SAC title last weekend, while winning their 44th straight SAC match. Wingate is 93-5 overall since the beginning of the 2007 season, good for a .949 winning percentage which ranks second in Division II. The Bulldogs have won 73 of their last 75 regular season matches, and have not lost a home SAC match since October 5, 2005. This season, the Bulldogs have won 89 sets while dropping only 10. The Bulldogs have not lost a set at home all season, while 24 of their 29 wins have come in three sets.

In the title-clinching victory Saturday, the Bulldogs were led by junior middle blocker Stormi Gale(Richmond, Texas), who had a match-high 17 kills. Junior outside hitter Lauren Billo (Orland Park, Ill.) added 13 kills, while sophomore libero Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) collected 30 digs, setting a school record for digs in a three-set match. Senior defensive specialist Brittany Horner (Roxboro, N.C.) added 19 digs, while sophomore setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) had 28 assists and nine digs.

Gale leads the Bulldogs and the SAC with 3.71 kills per set and a .320 hitting percentage. Billo is second in the league with 3.47 kills per set, and third with a .319 hitting percentage. Billo has earned SAC Player of the Week honors two consecutive weeks. Willis leads the league with 10.36 assists per set, while Malone is second in the SAC with 4.77 digs per set and fifth with 0.43 aces per set.

As a team, Wingate leads the league in kills, hitting percentage, opponents hitting percentage, assists and aces. Nationally, the Bulldogs rank in the top 10 in four categories. Wingate’s .967 winning percentage is third, while its 13.82 assists per set ranks fourth. The Bulldogs are sixth with 14.73 kills per set and ninth with 17.98 digs per set.

Carson-Newman enters the weekend 19-7 overall and 11-3 in the SAC. Winners of eight straight, the Eagles are led by senior middle hitter Katie Troyer (Plain City, Ohio), who is fourth in the SAC with 1.02 blocks per set and eighth with 2.86 kills per set. Sophomore middle hitter Nikki James (Cookeville, Tenn.) is third in the league with 1.12 blocks per set, while senior setter Stephanie Cutter (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) is fifth in the conference with 8.24 assists per set. Freshman libero Angelle Hayes (Brentwood, Tenn.) ranks fifth in the league with 4.46 digs per set. As a team, Carson-Newman is second in the SAC in kills, assists and blocks.

The Bulldogs and Eagles met earlier this year, with Wingate winning 3-1 at Carson-Newman. Gale led the Wingate attack with 17 kills, seven digs and five blocks, while Billo added 11 kills and four blocks. Willis collected 38 assists and 11 digs. Junior outside hitter Carly Mozgai (Greensboro, N.C.) led the Eagles with 11 kills, while Cutter had 30 assists and 14 digs.

The Bulldogs and Railsplitters met earlier this year as well, with Wingate winning 3-2 on the road. Gale had a career-high 24 kills to go along with 14 digs to lead the Bulldogs. Junior middle blocker Rebecca Bloemer (Louisville, Ky.) added 15 kills, while Billo chipped in with nine. Willis handed out 54 assists to go along with 11 digs, while Malone racked up a school-record 41 digs. Senior outside hitter Amanda Horenkamp (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) led LMU with 15 kills and 23 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Candace Richardson (Houston, Texas) added 12 kills, while senior libero Alicia MacIntyre (Muncie, Ind.) collected 33 digs.

The Railsplitters enter the weekend 21-6 overall and 10-4 in the conference. Horenkamp is sixth in the SAC with 2.88 kills per set, and seventh with 4.29 digs per set. MacIntyre is third in the league with 4.74 digs per set. As a team, LMU leads the league in digs, while ranking second in opponents hitting percentage. The Railsplitters rank fifth nationally with 18.17 digs per set.