Wingate, N.C.----The 14th-ranked Wingate University volleyball team swept the visiting Wolves of Newberry College 3-0 Saturday afternoon in Cuddy Arena to complete their first-ever undefeated regular season in school history. The Bulldogs won by scores of 25-18, 25-19 and 25-19 to improve to 27-0 overall and 18-0 in the SAC. Newberry falls to 15-14 overall and 7-11 in the SAC.
 
The Bulldogs have now won 82 consecutive SAC matches. Wingate has gone undefeated in conference play in each of the last five seasons. The Bulldogs have also won 50 consecutive regular season contests. One of only two remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division I or Division II volleyball, the Bulldogs are now 158-8 overall since the start of the 2007 season. Wingate will be the number one seed in next weekend’s Food Lion SAC tournament, as the ‘Dogs look to win their sixth straight tournament title.
 
“Newberry has been playing well and have beaten some good teams, so winning 3-0 today was good for us,” Wingate head coach Shelton Collier says. “For us to complete a season undefeated was improbable, but we found a way to do it. Now, we must re-focus and prepare for the conference tournament next weekend. We should have much confidence after playing so well this weekend.”
 
Redshirt sophomore middle blocker Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) had 14 kills, 10 digs and four blocks to lead the Wingate attack. Sophomore outside hitter Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added 12 kills and six digs, hitting .500 on the night. Freshman middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) also hit .500 in the match, piling up 10 kills and six blocks. Senior setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) handed out 43 assists. Senior libero Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) collected 14 digs, after being named the 2011 Wingate University Homecoming Queen earlier in the afternoon.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Samantha Parrish (Angola, Ind.) had 11 kills to lead the Newberry attack. Freshman outside hitter Lauren Prachar (Fort Wayne, Ind.) added nine kills for the Wolves. Junior setter Blair Browning (New Lexington, Ohio) handed out 27 assists, while freshman libero Elayni Stokes (Houston, Texas) had 11 digs.
 
The Bulldogs overcame a sluggish start in the opening set, using a 4-1 run to take a 15-10 lead. McGowan and Hilton had two kills each in the spurt. Parrish answered with a kill to cut the lead to four, but two more Hilton kills, along with a Newberry error, pushed the lead to eight at 19-11. The Wolves would get no closer than six the rest of the way. A McGowan kill made the score 24-17, while Potter capped the first set with a kill. Wingate hit .424 in the first frame.
 
The ‘Dogs came out on fire in the second set, taking a 9-0 lead. Potter had a kill and three blocks in the opening spurt, while Willis capped the explosion with an ace. Another block from Potter, along with a kill from junior middle blocker Grace Krauser (Louisville, Ky.), made the margin 19-12. The Wolves fought back, cutting the lead to three at 21-18 on a kill from Prachar. Kills from Hilton and McGowan pushed the lead to five at 24-19, while a Newberry error finished the second set.
 
A block from Prachar gave the Wolves a 15-11 lead in the third frame. A kill from Prachar made the tally 17-12. The ‘Dogs responded by cutting the lead to two at 18-16 on a McGowan kill. Parrish answered with a kill to give Newberry a 19-16 advantage. Wingate responded by scoring the last nine points of the set to claim the match. McGowan and Potter started the flurry with kill, while Willis followed with back-to-back aces. Another kill and block from Potter made the score 23-19. The ‘Dogs went to Hilton for the final two points. She slammed home her final two kills of the night to clinch Wingate’s undefeated regular season.
 
The Bulldogs hit .333 on the match, with 47 kills and 12 errors in 105 attacks. Newberry had 35 kills and 18 errors, hitting .163 on the night. Wingate had eight aces on the night, led by Willis with three.

(Wingate University assistant SID Hugh Patton wrote this article. Patton is a 2006 Wingate graduate with a B.A. degree in Communication Studies.)