Mars Hill, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs won their 50th consecutive regular season SAC match Friday night, defeating the Lions of Mars Hill College 3-1 in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action in Stanford Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-18, 18-25, 25-21 and 25-15 to improve to 7-1 overall and 4-0 in the SAC. Mars Hill falls to 4-4 overall and 1-4 in the conference.

“A win streak like this is something to be very proud of,” head coach Shelton Collier says. “It is a tribute to so many things, such as amazing consistency, winning difficult road matches, having non-starters enter matches and help us win when we were on our way to losing, some impressive comeback victories and hard-fought two-point wins. With the conference improving as much as it is, I feel it is safe to say that this streak will never be close to being broken.”

Senior middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) led the Bulldogs with 13 kills to go along with eight digs and six blocks, while hitting .444. Redshirt freshman outside hitter Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) notched her first career double-double with 12 kills and 12 digs. Sophomore outside hitter Katie Handy (Palos Verdes, Calif.) had nine kills, while junior outside hitter Janice Ehorn (Orange, Conn.) added eight kills without an error. Junior setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) handed out 23 assists, while senior setter Amanda Clark (Timberlake, N.C.) added 20 assists. Junior libero Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) led Wingate with 17 digs in two sets of action.

Junior outside hitter Evie Tafunai (Edwardsburg, Mich.) led the Lions with a match-high 15 kills. Freshman outside hitter Marissa Wixson (Spring, Texas) added 13 kills and 19 digs, while junior outside hitter Laura Ann Huskey (Hendersonville, N.C.) added 10 kills, five blocks and five digs. Sophomore setter Becca Smith (Candler, N.C.) handed out 21 assists, while freshman outside hitter Maggie Murphy (Richmond, Va.) had 22 digs.

After falling behind 5-1, the Bulldogs reeled off six consecutive points to take a 7-5 lead in the first set. Gale got it started with a kill, while Billo and Handy capped the spurt with kills. The Lions cut the lead to one at 11-10, but Wingate once again had the answer, going on a 4-0 run to take a 15-10 lead, capped by an Ehorn kill. Back-to-back Gale kills put Wingate on top 19-11. Handy finished the set with a kill.

The Lions jumped on top 7-2 in the second set, sparked by back-to-back kills from Huskey. A kill from freshman outside hitter Kayla Osterhus (Matthews, N.C.), followed by Mars Hill error cut the lead to 9-6. The Lions answered with a 4-1 run to go on top 13-7, capped by another Huskey kill. A Tafunai kill, along with a Wingate error made it 18-10. The Bulldogs would get no closer than five the rest of the way, as Tafunai would finish the set with a kill.

Mars Hill once again got out to an early lead, taking an 8-5 lead on a Wingate error. The Bulldogs responded with a 7-2 run to take a 12-10 lead, capped by back-to-back kills from Gale. A block from Huskey and junior outside hitter Jenna Luke (Mishawaka, Ind.) tied it at 12. Wingate scored seven of the next nine points to take a 19-14 lead, capped by a Hilton kill and Mars Hill error. Kills from Wixson and junior outside hitter Doneisha Gartica (Houston, Texas) got the Lions to within one at 20-19. Wingate responded with a Hilton kill, followed by a block from Gale and senior middle blocker Rebecca Bloemer (Louisville, Ky.) to make it 22-19. Another Gale kill made it 24-20; Ehorn finished the set with a kill.

A Gale kill gave the Bulldogs a 12-9 lead. Mars Hill cut it to one on a Huskey kill and Wingate error. The Bulldogs answered with a 10-2 lead to take control of the set. Gale and freshman outside hitter Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) got it started with a block. Wingate finished the run with a pair of Ehorn kills, along with kills from Gale and Handy. Mars Hill would get no closer than eight the rest of the way, with Gale capping the match with a kill.

Wingate hit .250 for the match, with 59 kills against 19 errors in 160 attacks. Mars Hill hit .175, with 47 kills and 20 errors in 154 attacks. The Bulldogs had nine blocks, led by Gale, while Willis had two of Wingate’s four aces.

The Bulldogs return to action Saturday at 2 p.m., traveling to Tusculum College. Wingate and Tusculum are two of three teams in the SAC still unbeaten in conference play. Mars Hill hosts Catawba at 2 p.m.