BOX SCORE PHOTO GALLERY
Banner Elk, N.C.----Wingate University freshman outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) piled up 19 kills and 12 digs, while sophomore outside hitter Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added 18 kills and a .500 hitting percentage to lead #21 Wingate University past Flagler College 3-1 on day two of the 2011 Carolinas Challenge volleyball tournament at Lees-McRae College. The Bulldogs won by scores of 31-29, 23-25, 25-19 and 30-28 to improve to 4-0 on the season. Flagler falls to 3-1 on the year.
The match was a rematch of the past two NCAA Southeast regional championship contests. Flagler won in 2009 to advance to the Elite Eight, while Wingate prevailed in 2010 to move on to the Elite Eight. The teams have now met six times since the start of the 2009 season, with Wingate winning four times. The Bulldogs are now 135-8 overall since the start of the 2007 season, and have won 27 consecutive regular season contests.
McGowan needed only 30 swings for her career-best 18 kills, committing only three errors while adding five digs. Junior middle blocker Grace Krauser (Louisville, Ky.) added 14 kills and a .324 hitting percentage, while redshirt sophomore middle blocker Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) chipped in with 12 kills, six digs and three blocks. Senior setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) had a career-high 58 assists, along with seven digs and three aces, while senior libero Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) collected 18 digs.
Dianna Craine had 14 kills and 14 digs to lead the Flagler attack. Crystal Niederriter added 13 kills with a .409 hitting percentage, while Sophie Meyer chipped in with 11 kills. Olivia Snipes had 34 assists and 12 digs, while Casey Gnann contributed 14 digs for the Saints.
“This match certainly had a championship feel to it, and I was impressed with the way our players elevated their games to respond to the challenge,” head coach Shelton Collier says. “We have been playing some average volleyball up to this point, which was a concern, however, in tonight’s match we really raised our level of play and came out with an impressive, hard-fought victory.”
The first set stayed tight throughout, with 13 ties and three lead changes. A Wingate error, followed by an ace from Craine gave Flagler a 19-17 advantage. The Saints maintained a two-point lead when a Niederriter kill made it 24-22. A kill from McGowan, followed by a Flagler error tied it at 24. The teams would trade points until a Krauser kill followed by a Flagler error gave Wingate a 28-27 advantage. The Saints would not give up, tying the set at 29 on a Craine kill. Wingate answered with a kill from McGowan to regain the lead, while Willis capped the exciting opening frame with an ace. The Bulldogs staved off match point five times in the first set.
Wingate used a 5-0 run to take a 16-13 lead in the second set. McGowan started it with back-to-back kills, while Malone followed with an ace to put Wingate on top. McGowan finished the flurry with a solo block to make it a three point advantage for the Bulldogs. A Krauser kill and Flagler error pushed the lead to five at 20-15. A Murach kill gave Wingate a 22-18 advantage. Flagler stormed back with five consecutive points to take the lead. Niederriter started it with three straight kills, while Craine capped it with an ace. A kill from Taylor Emilee put the Saints on top 24-23, while Rachel Stacy capped the set with a kill.
The Bulldogs used a 4-0 run to take a 17-11 lead in the third set. Murach started and capped the spurt with kills, while Willis added an ace. A Meyer kill and Wingate error cut the lead to four at 19-15. McGowan answered with consecutive kills to push the lead back to six. The Saints would get no closer than four the rest of the way, as McGowan capped the third frame with a kill.
The match looked to be heading to a fifth set, with Flagler taking a 20-11 lead in the fourth set on a kill from Emilee. The Bulldogs answered with a 6-0 run to cut the lead to three. Freshman middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) had a pair of kills in the flurry, while also capping it by teaming with Hilton for a block. A pair of McGowan kills, along with a Krauser kill helped the Bulldogs tie the set at 23. Flagler regained the lead on a Craine kill, giving the Saints a 24-23 lead and a chance to send the match to a fifth set. Krauser responded with a huge kill, while a block from Willis and Krauser gave Wingate a 25-24 lead. The teams would then trade points, with Flagler tying the set at 28 on a kill from Stacy. Potter and Hilton teamed for a huge block to give the Bulldogs another match point, and they would go to their hot hand McGowan, who established a new career high with her 18th kill, giving Wingate the huge victory.
The Bulldogs had 72 kills and 26 errors in 178 attacks on the match, good for a hitting percentage of .258. Flagler hit .207 with 62 kills and 27 errors in 169 attacks. Willis had three of Wingate’s five aces, while Potter and Hilton had three blocks each to lead the Bulldogs. Craine had three of Flagler’s six aces on the night, while Stacy led the Saints with three blocks.
Wingate returns to action Friday, traveling to Carson-Newman for a 7 p.m. start. That will be the SAC opener for the Bulldogs, who will put a 64-match league winning streak on the line.
