Indian Trail, N.C.----The 16th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs defeated the Queens University of Charlotte Royals 3-0 in NCAA Division II volleyball action Sunday afternoon at Carolina Courts. The ‘Dogs won by scores of 25-10, 25-17 and 25-23 to improve to 16-0 overall. The ‘Dogs have won 39 consecutive regular season matches, and have now won 28 straight sets this season. Queens falls to 10-6 overall.
 
Redshirt sophomore middle blocker Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) had 10 kills, seven digs, three blocks and a .519 hitting percentage to lead the Wingate attack. Junior middle blocker Grace Krauser (Louisville, Ky.) added eight kills and five blocks while hitting .500, while freshman outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) had seven kills and four digs, hitting .389. Senior setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) had 31 assists, while senior libero Maggie Malone(Chicago, Ill.) collected 16 digs.
 
Senior middle blocker Brittany Harvey (Matthews, N.C.) had six kills to lead the Queens attack. Junior middle blocker Lindsey Everhart (Cincinnati, Ohio) and sophomore middle blocker Ashley Winters (Fredericktown, Ohio) added five kills each for the Royals. Sophomore setter Taylor Riley (Lynchburg, Va.) had 10 assists, while sophomore middle blocker Brittney Barren (Ham Lake, Minn.) collected 12 digs.
 
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 15-3 lead in the opening set, capped by a 7-0 run. Krauser started the spurt with a kill and a block, while a Murach ace and Willis kill finished the run. The lead would remain in double digits the rest of the way. Kills from Hilton and Murach put Wingate on top 24-10, while the ‘Dogs claimed the first set on a Queens error. Wingate hit .370 in the first frame, while Queens hit -.051.
 
A pair of Krauser kills, along with two Queens errors gave the Bulldogs a 9-3 lead in the second set. A pair of aces from sophomore outside hitter Keri Kemp (Lake Mary, Fla.) cut the lead to three at 10-7. The ‘Dogs responded with four straight points, capped by a kill from sophomore outside hitter Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) to make it 14-7. A kill from Barren, along with a block from Winters cut the deficit to three at 16-13. Kills from McGowan and Murach helped push the lead back to six. Queens would get no closer than five the rest of the way. Krauser and freshman middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) capped the second set with a block.
 
A Murach kill and Hilton ace put Wingate on top 16-9 in the third set. Another Hilton kill, followed by a kill and a block from freshman middle blocker Kelsey Handel (Knoxville, Tenn.) made it 22-14. Queens responded by scoring nine of the next 10 points to tie it at 23. Kemp had a kill and an ace in the spurt for the Royals. A Queens error made it 24-23, while redshirt freshman setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) finished the match with a kill.
 
Wingate hit .299 for the match, with 41 kills and nine errors in 107 attacks. The Royals hit .036, with 28 kills and 24 errors in 112 attacks. Krauser’s five blocks were a match high, while Handel and Potter added four each.
 
Wingate returns to action Friday, traveling to Anderson at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs will look to extend their conference winning streak to 72 matches. Queens hosts Coker Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.