Postgame Interview

Box Score

Salisbury, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs opened their 2009 South Atlantic Conference season with a 3-0 sweep over Catawba College Tuesday night. Wingate won by scores of 25-22, 25-21 and 25-17 to improve to 9-0 on the year and 1-0 in the SAC. Catawba falls to 5-4 overall and 0-1 in the conference. Wingate has now won 31 consecutive SAC matches and 34 straight regular season matches.

Senior outside hitter Jacki Emmenecker (Perrysburg, Ohio) led the Wingate attack 11 kills without committing an error, hitting .500 for the match. Junior outside hitter Lauren Billo (Orland Park, Ill.) added 11 kills and four digs while junior middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) had nine kills and eight digs. Sophomore setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) racked up 30 assists, 13 digs and five kills while sophomore libero Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) collected 17 digs.

Sophomore middle blocker Taylor Doss (Boonville, N.C.) led the Catawba attack with 10 kills while freshman outside hitter Alli Parrish (Zebulon, N.C.) added eight kills. Sophomore setter Megan Courson (Statesville, N.C.) had 32 assists and eight digs while senior libero Mai Zoua Lo (Hickory, N.C.) racked up 20 digs.

The Bulldogs went on a 3-0 run to take a 17-14 lead in the first set, capped by a block from junior middle blocker Rebecca Bloemer (Louisville, Ky.) and sophomore outside hitter Jenny O’Brien (Matthews, N.C.) to go along with a Catawba error. The Catawba Indians fought back to tie it at 17, getting a kill from Doss to spark the run. The hosts took a 21-19 lead on a Doss kill followed by a Wingate error. The Bulldogs would battle back to tie it at 21 on a Billo kill. Trailing 22-21, Wingate got a kill from Billo, a block from Billo and Bloemer, then another Billo kill to take a 24-22 lead. Billo would add her eighth kill of the first set to finish it off.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 12-4 lead in the second set, getting three kills from Emmenecker and two from Bloemer in the early run. Catawba took advantage of a pair of attack errors and a block from Parrish and Chunn to cut the lead to one at 15-14. An ace from Parrish tied the set at 16. Wingate reeled off three consecutive points, highlighted by kills from Willis and Bloemer to make it 19-16. A Gale kill, followed by an Emmenecker ace made it 24-20. The Bulldogs finished the set on a Catawba error.

Catawba jumped out to an 11-7 lead in the third on back-to-back kills from Parrish. Trailing 13-11, the Bulldogs reeled off nine consecutive points to make it 20-13. Emmenecker got the pivotal run going with a block while Gale followed with three consecutive kills. That was followed by a Willis kill and Malone ace. Billo capped the run with a kill to put Wingate on top by seven. Kills from Willis and Bloemer gave the Bulldogs a 24-15 lead. Wingate finished off the match on a Catawba error.

Wingate hit .231 for the match with 44 kills against 16 errors in 121 attacks. Catawba posted 35 kills against 18 errors in 123 attacks for a .138 hitting percentage.

The Bulldogs are back in action Friday, heading to Savannah to face a tough field in the AASU/Chatham Orthopedics Volleyball Classic. Wingate will take on Queens University of Charlotte Friday at noon, then face defending Southeast Region champion Armstrong Atlantic State Friday at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs will also face a pair of teams from Florida Saturday, taking on Flagler at 11 a.m. and Barry at 4:30 p.m.