BOX SCORE

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs rallied after dropping the first set, defeating the Pioneers of Tusculum College 3-1 in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action Saturday afternoon in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 24-26, 25-17, 25-20 and 27-25 to improve to 21-1 overall and 14-0 in the SAC. The Pioneers fall to 18-5 overall and 12-2 in the conference. The Bulldogs have now won 19 consecutive matches this season and 60 consecutive regular season SAC matches dating back to the 2007 season.

Senior All-American Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) led the Wingate attack with 19 kills, 15 digs, three blocks and three aces, while hitting .459 on the day. Freshman outside hitter Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added 16 kills and 14 digs, while senior outside hitter Lauren Billo (Orland Park, Ill.) chipped in with 12 kills and 10 digs. Both Wingate setters contributed double-doubles for the Bulldogs. Senior Amanda Clark (Timberlake, N.C.) had 28 assists and 10 digs, while junior Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) added 22 assists and 17 digs. Junior libero Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) collected a team-high 20 digs.

“This was a very important win for us for so many reasons,” head coach Shelton Collier says. “Both teams were aware that the conference regular season title was on the line, so it was a crucial win in that regard. This win also puts us in an excellent position to host the NCAA Regionals, which is exciting. Tusculum outplayed us during many phases of the match, so it was great for us to step up and find a way to win.”

Freshman outside hitter Rhayne Smitherman (Columbus, Ohio) had a match-high 21 kills to lead the Tusculum attack. Sophomore outside hitter Bailee Price (Fort Wayne, Ind.) had 10 kills and 14 digs, while sophomore outside hitter Sam Underwood (Muncie, Ind.) added 10 kills and 11 digs. Freshman setter Ashley Sarmiento (Dayton, Ohio) had 45 assists and 11 digs, while freshman libero Caitlyn Dean (Fort Wayne, Ind.) collected a match-high 31 digs.

The Pioneers took a 12-10 lead in the first set on a Smitherman kill. The ‘Dogs answered with four straight points, highlighted by three McGowan kills to take a 14-12 advantage. A Billo kill put Wingate on top 18-15. Tusculum battled back, scoring five of the next six points to take a 20-19 lead. A kill and an ace from Price tied it at 19, while Raterman gave the Pioneers the lead with a kill. Wingate had the answer, getting an ace from Malone and a kill from sophomore middle blocker Grace Krauser (Louisville, Ky.) to take a 24-23 lead. Senior middle blocker Allyson Ray (Hudson, Fla.) tied the set at 24 with a kill, while a Price kill made it 25-24. Sophomore defensive specialist Melanie Gibson (Signal Mountain, Tenn.) capped the set with an ace.

Kills from Gale and McGowan, along with a Tusculum error gave the ‘Dogs a 13-9 lead in the second set. A Smitherman kill cut Wingate’s lead to three at 18-15. Kills from Gale and Krauser put the Bulldogs on top 20-15. Wingate used a key 4-0 run to take a 24-16 advantage. Krauser got it started with a kill, while McGowan capped it with back-to-back kills. Krauser finished the set with a kill.

A Billo ace and Gale kill gave Wingate a 15-9 lead in the third set. Tusculum answered by scoring the next five points to trim the lead to one. Ray got it started with a kill, while Smitherman added two kills and a block. A McGowan kill pushed the lead back to three at 18-15. Price notched a kill to get the Pioneers within one at 19-18. Back-to-back Gale kills, along with an ace from Clark put the ‘Dogs on top 22-18. Tusculum would get no closer than three the rest of the way, as McGowan would finish the set with a kill.

The fourth and final set featured 13 ties and seven lead changes. Tusculum jumped out to a 10-6 lead, taking advantage of three consecutive Wingate errors. The Bulldogs battled back, using a 3-0 run to tie the set at 12 on a Gale kill. The Pioneers led 17-16 on a kill from Underwood. Wingate responded by scoring the next four points to take a 20-17 lead. Billo got it started with a pair of kills, while senior middle blocker Rebecca Bloemer (Louisville, Ky.) capped it with a kill. Tusculum battled back, tying the set at 22 on a kill from Price, then taking a 23-22 advantage on a Wingate error. The Pioneers held a 25-24 lead, serving to send the match to a fifth set, but Bloemer notched a huge kill to tie it at 25. A Tusculum error gave Wingate a 26-25 advantage, while Krauser finished the match with a kill.

The Bulldogs hit .287 for the match, with 69 kills and 18 errors in 178 attacks. The 69 kills are a season high for the Bulldogs, who entered the match ranking fourth nationally in kills per set. The Pioneers hit .204, with 56 kills and 19 errors in 181 attacks. Gale had three of Wingate’s six aces to lead the Bulldogs, while Gibson had two of Tusculum’s four.

Wingate returns to action Tuesday, hosting Brevard College at 7 p.m. Tusculum travels to Carson-Newman Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. start. 

(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.)