BOX SCORE

Banner Elk, N.C.----The #21 Wingate University Bulldogs hit .439 for the match, while holding St. Andrews to -.130 en route to a 3-0 victory Friday afternoon on day one of the 2011 Carolinas Challenge hosted by Lees-McRae College. Wingate won by scores of 25-8, 25-10 and 25-7 to improve to 1-0 overall. The Knights fall to 0-1.

Wingate’s balanced attack saw four different players with at least five kills. Senior outside hitter Janice Ehorn (Orange, Conn.) led the way with eight kills, to go along with five digs, four blocks and a .615 hitting percentage. Sophomore middle blocker Allison Rickher (Matthews, N.C.) added seven kills for the Bulldogs. Sophomores Rianne Lang (Littleton, Colo.) and Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) added five kills each. Hilton did her damage in six swings for an .833 hitting percentage, while Lang added seven digs and seven aces. Redshirt freshman setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) handed out 17 assists in her collegiate debut, while senior libero Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) notched eight digs.

"Wiht five players hitting over .400, and the team hitting .439 in the first match, it is very encouraging," head coach Shelton Collier says. "We realize that the teams later in the tournament will be tougher, but we are happy to get off to a good start."

Celia Duggan led the St. Andrews attack with five kills, while Allie Garland added four kills for the Knights. Lyndsey Moss handed out seven assists, while Ruka Akolade had seven digs.

Wingate jumped out to a quick 9-1 lead in the opening set, getting three kills from Hilton. An SAPC error along with a kill from freshman outside hitter Jenna Flanigin (Aldie, Va.) pushed the lead to 18-7. The Bulldogs finished the set on a 7-0 run, capped by back-to-back kills from Rickher.

The Knights took an 8-6 lead in the second set on a kill from Duggan. Wingate answered with a 9-0 run to take a 16-8 advantage, taking advantage of six SAPC errors. A pair of kills from Garland cut the lead to seen at 17-10. The ‘Dogs again had the emphatic answer, scoring the final eight points of the set. Freshman middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) had a pair of kills to start the spurt, while Ehorn added a pair of kills in the run. The ‘Dogs claimed set two on a St. Andrews error.

The ‘Dogs jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the final frame, getting four consecutive aces from Lang to spark the spurt. A pair of kills from Rickher, along with a Cooke kill gave the ‘Dogs a 17-3 lead. Wingate scored the final five points of the set, capping the match on a block from Ehorn and freshman middle blocker Kelsey Handel (Knoxville, Tenn.).

Wingate had 35 kills against six errors in 66 attacks, good for a .439 hitting percentage. The bulldogs hit .462 in the first set and .611 in the third frame, with 12 kills and only one error. The Knights had 14 kills and 24 errors in 77 attacks for their -.130 hitting percentage. SAPC hit negative in all three sets. Wingate notched 10 aces, led by Lang’s seven and Malone’s two.

Wingate returns to action Friday night, taking on host Lees-McRae College at 7:30 p.m. St. Andrews takes on Flagler College Friday at 5 p.m.