BOX SCORE

Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University senior outside Lauren Billo (Orland Park, Ill.) piled up 13 kills to lead the Bulldogs past the University of Montevallo Falcons in a key NCAA Southeast Region match Saturday afternoon in Cuddy Arena. The Bulldogs won by scores of 25-22, 25-18 and 25-15 to improve to 16-1 overall, while Montevallo falls to 13-7 on the season. Wingate has now won 38 consecutive regular season home matches, while Montevallo suffers its first regional loss of the year.

Billo had her 13 kills against only one error for a .414 hitting percentage. Senior middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) added 10 kills, seven digs and four blocks while hitting .391 for the match. Freshman outside hitter Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added seven kills and a team-high 14 digs. Junior setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) had 22 assists and eight digs, while senior Amanda Clark (Timberlake, N.C.) had 17 assists and six digs.

Senior outside hitter Kara Zawisza (Ann Arbor, Mich.) had 11 kills to lead the Falcons. Freshman middle hitter Taylor Chapman (Killen, Ala.), redshirt freshman middle hitter Manyi Ati (Lawrenceville, Ga.) and sophomore middle hitter Virginia Clay (Fort Collins, Colo.) had eight kills each. Sophomore libero Brittany Wilson (Floyds Knobs, Ind.) had a match-high 19 digs, while junior setter Anna Garrison (LaVergne, Tenn.) handed out 34 assists.

A kill from senior middle blocker Rebecca Bloemer (Louisville, Ky.) gave the ‘Dogs a 13-9 lead in the first set. The Falcons battled back, cutting the lead to one at 15-14 on a Wingate error. The Bulldogs answered with a 4-0 run to take a 21-16 lead. Sophomore middle blocker Grace Krauser (Louisville, Ky.) started the spurt with a kill, while the ‘Dogs took a five-point lead on a Montevallo error. A kill from Manyi, followed by a Wingate error cut the lead to two at 23-21. Gale finished the first set with a pair of kills.

A pair of Gale kills gave the ‘Dogs a 14-11 lead in the second frame. An ace from Willis made it 16-12. The Falcons cut the lead to two at 17-15 on a Zawisza kill. The ‘Dogs answered with a 5-0 run to take a 22-15 lead. Billo stared the flurry with three straight kills, while Gale finished it with a kill. The Bulldogs claimed the second set on a kill from McGowan.

A Bloemer kill, followed by a Falcon error gave Wingate a 14-8 lead in the third set. The ‘Dogs used a 3-0 run to take an 18-10 advantage, capped by an ace from Gale. Montevallo cut the lead to six at 21-15 on a kill from Clay. Wingate answered by scoring the final four points of the match. Billo started it with a kill, while a Bloemer kill made it 24-15. Billo finished the match with her 13th kill.

Wingate hit .366 on the match, with 43 kills against only six errors in 101 attacks. The Bulldogs hit .417 in the second set and .400 in the third frame. The ‘Dogs had five aces on the day, led by Willis with four. Gale and Hilton had four blocks each to lead the Bulldogs. Montevallo hit .156 on the day, with 39 kills and 20 errors in 122 attacks.

The Bulldogs return to action Tuesday, hosting Catawba College at 7 p.m. Montevallo travels to Armstrong Atlantic Friday for a 7 p.m. start.