Indianapolis, Ind.----The Wingate University Bulldogs are the number two team in this week’s NCAA Southeast region poll, which was released Wednesday afternoon. The Bulldogs, who were the top-ranked team in the first two polls of the year, are behind Armstrong Atlantic in this week’s poll. Wingate is the number one seed in this week’s Food Lion SAC Tournament, taking on eighth-seeded Anderson Friday at 12 p.m. The Bulldogs are 26-2 overall, after finishing with a 16-2 record in SAC play, winning their seventh straight regular season SAC title.

The Pirates are the top team in the region poll for the first time this year, jumping two spots from last week’s poll. Wingate, in the midst of a 17-match winning streak, falls to number two. Flagler is third, followed by Tusculum, Lincoln Memorial and Lenoir-Rhyne. Newberry and Francis Marion round out the top eight, while Augusta State and USC Aiken are ninth and 10th, respectively. The Bulldogs are 10-2 against regionally ranked opponents.

“With regards to our regional ranking this week, I can say that I am both stunned and confused that we somehow dropped out of the top position,” Wingate head coach Shelton Collier says. “We go on the road and beat the fifth-ranked team in the region this past weekend and have not lost since Sept. 21, yet the committee elevates last week’s third-ranked team over us after they beat two teams we have already defeated. In addition, they have five in-region losses compared to our two. I would be interested in how that process was conducted, as it has a huge impact on NCAA Tournament seeding.”

The six-time defending Food Lion SAC Tournament champions are once again the top seed in this week’s tournament, which will take place at Brevard College. Wingate will open play against eighth-seeded Anderson Friday at 12 p.m. The Bulldogs swept the Trojans in both regular season contests. Redshirt junior right-side hitter Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) had 10 kills and 12 digs to lead the Bulldogs to the road win, while sophomore middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) had 10 kills and a .667 hitting percentage. Freshman outside hitter Hannah Huffman (Colorado Springs, Colo.) had seven of her match-high eight kills in the third set to lead the Bulldogs to the victory in Cuddy Arena.

The Bulldogs have been dominant in the SAC Tournament of late, reaching seven consecutive championship matches and winning the title in seven of the past nine seasons. No other current SAC member has won the conference tournament since Carson-Newman in 2002. Wingate has won 18 straight SAC Tournament matches, and 20 of its last 21. The Bulldogs have won 54 sets in the last six tournaments, dropping just 10.

“We are really looking forward to the conference tournament,” Collier says. “We have already discussed the fact that in each of the last two years we entered as the number one seed, and in both cases we were nearly eliminated in tough five set matches in the quarterfinals. There are several teams with a legitimate chance to win it, and we are certainly one of them. We have significantly elevated our level of play and our confidence over the last several weeks, so we are excited about playing this weekend.”

Wingate’s balanced offensive attack is led by Hilton. The 2011 honorable mention All-American ranks in the top 10 in the league with 3.05 kills per set and a .316 hitting percentage. She is also second on the team with 3.01 digs per set. Freshman outside hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) leads the Bulldogs with 3.06 kills per set, adding 2.60 digs per set. Sophomore outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) is averaging 2.90 kills and 1.99 digs per set. Potter leads the SAC with a .319 hitting percentage, ranking third with 1.00 blocks per set. She is fourth on the team with 2.01 kills per set. Wingate’s lone senior is Grace Krauser (Louisville, Ky.), who is averaging 1.84 kills per set while ranking in the top 10 in the league with a .257 hitting percentage and 0.90 blocks per set.

Wingate has a pair of setters that have run both a 6-2 and 5-1 offense for the Bulldogs this year. Redshirt sophomore Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) is averaging 7.53 assists and 2.60 digs per set, while freshman Iris Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio) is also handing out 7.53 assists per set. Junior libero Rianne Lang (Littleton, Colo.) leads the Bulldogs with 4.73 digs per set. Wingate ranks fifth nationally in winning percentage, sixth in digs per set, 12th in kills per set and 14th in assists per set.

The winner of Friday’s Wingate vs. Anderson match will take on the winner of the Lenoir-Rhyne vs. Newberry match Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The SAC championship match will take place Sunday at 2 p.m.

NCAA Southeast Region Poll
Rank  Team                   In-Region   Overall
1         Armstrong            29-5            29-5
2         Wingate              26-2            26-2
3         Flagler                 19-9            20-9
4         Tusculum             20-6            20-6
5         LMU                    19-12          20-12
6         Lenoir-Rhyne        19-10         19-10
7         Newberry              17-11         17-13
8         Francis Marion     18-11          18-11
9         Augusta State      18-14          18-14
10       USC Aiken           18-12          18-12

2012 Food Lion SAC Tournament Schedule
Friday, Nov. 16 (at Brevard)
12 p.m. No. 1 Wingate vs. No. 8 Anderson
2:30 p.m. No. 4 Lenoir-Rhyne vs. No. 5 Newberry
5 p.m. No. 2 Tusculum vs. No. 7 Mars Hill
7:30 p.m. No. 3 Lincoln Memorial vs. No. 6 Catawba
Saturday, Nov. 17 (at Brevard)
2:30 p.m. WU-AU winner vs. LRU-NC winner
5 p.m. TC-MHC winner vs. LMU-CAT winner
Sunday, Nov. 18 (at Brevard)
2 p.m. SAC Championship match

WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Wingate University, ranked as the 6th “best value” in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves 2,648 students on three campuses in Wingate, Matthews and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 34 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, education, physician assistant studies and sport administration, and doctorates in pharmacy and education. With a 14 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life.
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 20 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past six years.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing private colleges in the 2000’s with 50 selections. Among North Carolina’s colleges and universities, Wingate’s 50 Academic All-America® honorees are first during this millennium. Wingate’s 59 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.