BOX SCORE

Wingate, N.C.----Redshirt sophomore middle blocker Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) had 14 kills to lead the 16th-ranked Bulldogs to a 3-0 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne University in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action Tuesday night in Cuddy Arena. The Bulldogs won by scores of 25-14, 25-22 and 25-17 to improve to 13-0 overall and 7-0 in the SAC. Wingate has now won 36 consecutive regular season matches dating back to early in the 2010 season and 71 straight SAC contests dating back to the 2006 season. Lenoir-Rhyne falls to 10-6 overall and 2-3 in the SAC.
 
Hilton hit .423 on the night, while adding six digs, two blocks and three assists. Sophomore middle blocker Grace Krauser (Louisville, Ky.) added seven kills in two sets of action for the Bulldogs. Freshmen Susie Murach (Burke, Va.), Kelsey Handel (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) added five kills each. Senior setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) handed out 35 assists, while senior libero Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) collected 16 digs.
 
“Anna Hilton was awesome as usual; our middle hitters were once again very good for us,” head coach Shelton Collier says. “We are continuing to try to build our team so that we can make a championship run later in the season. We are learning as we go. If we can get it going more consistently at more positions, we could be a very promising team by the end of the year.”
 
Freshman outside hitter Whitney Brinkley (Asheville, N.C.) had six kills to lead the Lenoir-Rhyne attack. Senior outside hitter Brooke Christenbury (Mooresville, N.C.) had four kills and seven digs for the Bears. Junior setter Meredith Lutz (Newton, N.C.) had 12 assists and nine digs, while freshman libero Emily Culler (Mount Airy, N.C.) notched a match-high 18 digs.
 
The Bears jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the opening set, getting kills from Christenbury and Brinkley along with a Lutz ace. Wingate answered with nine consecutive points to take a 10-5 lead. Willis got things started with a kill, while Murach added a pair of kills in the spurt. Two more Murach kills pushed the lead to seven. The ‘Dogs added a 6-0 run to take a 22-11 lead. Potter and Hilton capped the spurt with kills. An ace from freshman defensive specialist Stephanie Tassone (Chicago, Ill.) made the score 24-13, while Hilton finished the opening frame with a kill.
 
Three Krauser kills, along with an ace from Murach, gave Wingate an 11-7 lead in the second set. The Bears battled back, cutting the lead to two at 14-12 on a Wingate error. Kills from Murach and Hilton, along with an LRU error, gave the ‘Dogs a 20-15 lead. Lenoir-Rhyne scored four straight points to cut the lead to one, sparked by a kill from Christenbury. Another Krauser kill, followed by a block from Willis and sophomore middle blocker Allison Rickher (Matthews, N.C.), made the score 22-20. The Bears cut the deficit to one on consecutive kills from freshman middle blocker Haley Rhyne (Statesville, N.C.). A Willis ace pushed Wingate’s lead to three at 24-21, while Hilton capped the second set with a kill.
 
A kill from Handel, followed by a pair of Lenoir-Rhyne errors, gave Wingate a 15-11 lead in the third set. The Bears got to within three at 17-14 on a Bulldog error. Wingate responded with five straight points to take a 22-14 advantage. Potter sparked the rally with a kill and a pair of blocks. Kills from Hilton and Potter gave the ‘Dogs a 24-15 lead. Sophomore outside hitter Rianne Lang (Littleton, Colo.) capped the match with a kill.
 
Wingate hit .209 for the match, with 46 kills and 19 errors in 129 attacks. Lenoir-Rhyne had 21 kills and 19 errors in 105 attacks, hitting .019 for the night. The Bears hit .000 in the opening set and 0.138 in the third frame. Willis had a pair of aces on the night for the Bulldogs, while Potter notched a match-high four blocks.
 
Wingate returns to action Saturday, traveling to Shaw University for a tri-match. The Bulldogs will take on Shaw and Fayetteville State University Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs take on Queens University of Charlotte Sunday at 3 p.m. at Carolina Courts in Indian Trail, N.C. Lenoir-Rhyne hosts Carson-Newman College Friday at 7 p.m.
 
(Wingate University assistant sports information director Hugh Patton wrote this article. Patton is a 2006 Wingate graduate with a B.A. degree in Communication Studies.)