BOX SCORE       PHOTO GALLERY

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs claimed a 3-0 win over the Rams of Winston-Salem State University in NCAA Division II volleyball action Tuesday night in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-19, 25-11 and 25-8 to improve to 13-1 overall. Winston-Salem State falls to 7-11 overall on the season. The Bulldogs have now won 11 consecutive matches; they are 113-7 overall since the start of the 2007 season, good for a Division II-best .941 winning percentage.

Freshman outside hitter Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) led the Wingate attack with 13 kills, while adding five digs and hitting .417 on the night. Senior outside hitter Lauren Billo (Orland Park, Ill.) added 10 kills and four digs. Redshirt freshman outside hitter Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) made the most of her 10 swings on the night, with nine kills and zero errors for a .900 hitting percentage. She added three blocks and three digs on the night. Junior setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) handed out 38 assists, while also collecting a team-best seven digs.

Junior outside hitter Ashley Harris (Mitchellville, Md.) led the Rams with eight kills to go along with 10 digs. Senior middle blocker Georgette Allen (Bullock, N.C.) added five kills. Sophomore setter Kiara Brown (Raleigh, N.C.) handed out 13 assists, while senior libero Erica Cole (Laurinburg, N.C.) notched a match-high 13 digs.

A kill from Allen, followed by an ace from Harris gave the Rams a 9-5 lead in the first set. Wingate responded with a 7-3 run to tie the set at 12. Hilton got the spurt started with a kill, while finishing it with back-to-back kills. A block from Willis and senior middle blocker Rebecca Bloemer (Louisville, Ky.), followed by a Billo kill made it 17-15. The ‘Dogs took a 21-16 lead thanks to a kill from freshman middle blocker Kayla Osterhus (Matthews, N.C.) and a Bloemer ace. A Hilton kill made it 24-18, while Billo capped the first set with a kill.

Wingate used an 8-0 run to take a 16-7 lead in the second set. Senior middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) got it started with a kill, and added three consecutive aces in the spurt. Bloemer and Willis capped the run with a block. A 5-0 run put the Bulldogs on top 21-9. McGowan got it started with a kill, while sophomore outside hitter Katie Handy (Palos Verdes, Calif.) capped it with a block. A kill from Handy made it 24-11, while Billo finished the frame with a kill.

Wingate jumped out to a 12-3 lead in the third frame. McGowan had three kills and an ace in the early stretch, while Hilton added two kills and three blocks. Back-to-back McGowan kills gave the Bulldogs a 16-5 advantage. Wingate went on top 24-8 on a pair of Hilton kills. Willis finished the match with a kill. The ‘Dogs hit .520 in the final frame, with 15 kills and only two errors in 25 attempts.

Wingate hit .371 for the match, with 45 kills and nine errors in 97 attacks. Winston-Salem State hit .014 on the night, with 16 kills and 15 errors in 74 attacks. The Bulldogs had 11 aces on the night. Gale led the way with three, while Billo and McGowan had two each.

Wingate returns to action Friday night, hosting Newberry College at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs will host Anderson Saturday at 12 p.m., and Montevallo Saturday at 4 p.m. Winston-Salem State travels to Johnson C. Smith Wednesday night for a 6 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.)