Box Score
 
Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs hit .337 on the afternoon, defeating the visiting Trojans of Anderson University 3-0 in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-11, 25-12 and 25-19 to improve to 23-2 overall and 13-2 in the SAC. The Trojans fall to 13-15 overall and 5-12 in the conference.

Freshman outside hitter Hannah Huffman (Colorado Springs, Colo.) had eight kills in two sets of action, hitting .467 on the afternoon to lead the Wingate attack. Sophomore outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) had six kills in seven swings; hitting .714 in two sets of action while adding three aces. Freshman outside hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) also had six kills in two sets, while redshirt junior right-side hitter Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) had five kills, 14 digs and seven assists. Redshirt sophomore setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) had 15 assists, six digs and three kills in two sets, while sophomore libero Stephanie Tassone (Chicago, Ill.) added 10 digs for the Bulldogs.

“Our team came in very motivated to play well today, and it showed in our performance, especially with our improved offense from last night, which was an important goal,” head coach Shelton Collier says. “Hitting .500 as a team and holding them to a .000 hitting percentage in the first set was impressive, and having all of our non-starters play the third set and win was rewarding as well.”

Sophomore outside hitter Shannon Gillespie (Fishers, Ind.) had seven kills and nine digs to lead the Anderson attack. Sophomore middle blocker Hailey Pittman (Altamonte Springs, Fla.) added six kills, while senior middle blocker Tiffany Rowe (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) chipped in with four kills. Sophomore setter Meghan Cautero (Naples, Fla.) handed out 20 assists for the Trojans.

A Cooke kill and Stumpff ace gave Wingate a 10-4 lead in the opening set. A pair of Bulldog errors trimmed the lead to four at 10-6. Back-to-back Murach blocks, along with an ace from Tassone put Wingate on top 14-6. Hilton gave the Bulldogs a 19-10 advantage with a kill. Rowe answered with a kill to make it 19-11, but the Bulldogs responded by scoring the last six points of the set. Stumpff got it started with a kill, while Murach added two more kills to make it 24-11. Stumpff finished the opening frame with an ace. The Bulldogs hit .500 in the first set, with 14 kills and just two errors in 24 attacks. The Trojans hit .000 in the first frame, with seven kills and seven errors.

A Murach kill and Tassone ace gave Wingate an 11-8 lead in the second set. A Pittman kill and Wingate error made it 12-10. The Bulldog had the emphatic response, scoring the next 11 points to take a 23-10 advantage. Murach started it with a kill, while adding three aces in the flurry. Stumpff had a pair of kills and a block in the spurt. A Hilton kill made it 24-11, while Huffman capped the second set with a kill. Wingate hit .308 in set two, with 13 kills and five errors in 26 attacks. The Trojans were held to a hitting percentage of -.115, with five kills and eight errors in the frame.

A Gillespie kill and Wingate error gave the Trojans a 7-5 lead in the third set. The Bulldogs answered with an 8-0 run to take a 13-7 advantage. Huffman started it with a kill and an ace, while junior middle blocker Allison Rickher (Matthews, N.C.) followed with a block and three kills. Rickher teamed with junior outside hitter Kayla Osterhus (Matthews, N.C.) on a block to cap the spurt. Rowe trimmed the deficit to four with a kill to make it 16-12, but kills from Huffman and Rickher, along with another Rickher block made it 20-14. Another Huffman kill gave the ‘Dogs a 24-17 lead, while Huffman finished the match with her seventh kill of the third set.

Wingate had 41 kills and just 12 errors in 86 attacks, hitting .337 on the match. Anderson had 22 kills and 20 errors in 87 attacks, hitting .023 on the day. Rickher led the Bulldogs with a match-high three blocks, all coming in set three. Murach had a match-high three aces, while Stumpff and Tassone added two each.

Wingate returns to action Tuesday, hosting Catawba at 7 p.m. The Trojans host Newberry Friday at 7 p.m.