Box Score
 
Jefferson, City, Tenn.----For the second straight day, the Wingate University Bulldogs dropped the opening set on the road, but Wingate was once again able to respond, getting a 3-1 victory at Carson-Newman in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs won by scores of 23-25, 25-13, 25-20 and 25-13 to move their winning streak to 17, ending the regular season at 26-2 overall and 16-2 in the SAC. The Eagles fall to 11-16 overall and 5-13 in the conference.

Redshirt junior right-side hitter Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) had 14 kills and 21 digs to lead the Wingate attack. Freshman outside hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) added 14 kills and 10 digs, while sophomore middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) had 12 kills and three blocks, hitting .435 on the match. Sophomore outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) added 11 kills and 14 digs for the Bulldogs. Redshirt sophomore setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) registered 51 assists and 15 digs.

“This was a very hard-fought emotional match, and both teams were well aware that Carson-Newman needed to win or its season would be over,” head coach Shelton Collier says. “They obviously played with a lot of passion and have some very good players; however, we elevated our level of play and finished off our regular season with a very important win. We are already looking forward to the SAC Tournament this upcoming weekend.”

Emily Schultz had 10 kills and 10 digs to lead the Carson-Newman attack. Lauren Santarelli added seven kills, while Rachel Bowlin chipped in with six kills. Kristen Pickett handed out 31 assists, while Angelle Hayes collected a match-high 31 digs.

Wingate took a 12-8 lead in the opening set on a Hilton kill, but a 5-0 Carson-Newman run put the Eagles on top 13-12 on a kill from Sabina Papala. Potter and Hilton had two kills each to put the Bulldogs back on top 16-14, but a 4-0 run put the Eagles back on top by two. A Harper kill gave Carson-Newman a 20-17 advantage. Wingate answered with a 5-0 run to take a 22-20 lead, getting a kill from Stumpff and a block from senior middle blocker Grace Krauser (Louisville, Ky.) in the spurt. A block from Papala capped a 3-0 Carson-Newman run which put the Eagles on top by one, while a Carson-Newman error tied it at 23. Bowlin answered with a kill to make it 24-23, while a Wingate error gave the Eagles the first set.

Kills from Krauser and Hilton helped the Bulldogs take a 6-1 lead in the second set. Carson-Newman got to within three at 10-7, but an emphatic 9-0 Wingate run made it 19-7. Stumpff had three kills in the spurt, while sophomore libero Stephanie Tassone (Chicago, Ill.) added two aces. Kills from Murach and Potter gave the ‘Dogs a 24-13 lead, while a block from Potter and Stumpff capped the set, tying the match at one. Wingate held the Eagles to a hitting percentage of -.067 in the second frame.

Kills from Schultz and Papala gave Carson-Newman an 11-8 lead in the third set. Wingate responded with a 6-0 run to take a 14-11 lead. Hilton had two kills in the spurt, while Cooke and Potter each added a block and a kill. Santarelli got the Eagles to within one, but two Potter kills and two Carson-Newman errors put Wingate on top by four. Hilton added two more kills, while a Krauser kill gave the ‘Dogs a 22-17 advantage. Kills from Hilton and Murach made it 24-20, while a Carson-Newman error capped the set.

A 5-0 run gave the Bulldogs an 11-6 lead in set four, highlighted by two kills each from Potter and Murach. Wingate added a 5-0 run to take a commanding 18-9 lead. Potter started the flurry with a kill, while Stumpff added two kills and a block. Kills from Potter and Stumpff made it 24-13, while an ace from freshman Iris Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio) finished the match. The Bulldogs piled up 20 kills in the final frame, hitting .381 in the set.

Wingate hit .201 on the match, with 63 kills and 28 errors in 174 attacks. The Eagles had 37 kills and 19 errors on the afternoon, hitting .113. Tassone’s two aces were a match high. The Bulldogs did not surrender an ace to the Eagles in the match.

Wingate will be the top seed at next week’s Food Lion SAC Tournament, which will take place at Brevard. The six-time defending SAC champions will take on the eight-seeded Anderson Trojans Friday at 12 p.m. Wingate has won 18 consecutive SAC Tournament matches. The Eagles finished ninth in the conference, and did not qualify for the SAC Tournament.