Box Score  

Greeneville, Tenn.----In a rematch of the 2012 SAC Tournament championship match and the 2012 NCAA Southeast regional title match, the 14th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs registered an impressive 3-0 victory at Tusculum College in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action Friday night. Wingate won by scores of 25-15, 25-14 and 25-21 to improve to 14-2 overall and 10-0 in the SAC. The 'Dogs have now won 11 consecutive matches, while also winning their last 25 league contests. Tusculum falls to 11-6 overall and 6-4 in the conference.

Redshirt senior right-side hitter Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) had 13 kills to lead the Wingate attack, hitting .500 on the night while adding seven digs and three blocks. Junior outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) and sophomore outside hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) added eight kills each, while junior middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) contributed seven kills and three blocks. Redshirt junior setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) handed out 21 assists, while sophomore Iris Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio) added 20 assists. Junior libero Stephanie Tassone (Chicago, Ill.) registered a match-high 15 digs.

"A 3-0 win against one of the top teams in the league on their home floor is a great accomplishment," head coach Shelton Collier says. "Our players did a great job tactically and we had a number of outstanding offensive performances. This was a very important win for us."

Danae Stauffer and Megan Hasse led the Tusculum attack with seven kills each, but both were held to a hitting percentage of under .100. Kassie Voelker had six kills, while Rachel Garnett contributed four kills. The freshman Garnett entered the match ranked in the top 10 in the league in kills and hitting percentage, but was limited to four kills with a hitting percentage of -.059. Hannah Berling handed out 20 assists for the Pioneers, while Moriah Jones had 12 digs.

A kill and an ace from Stumpff, followed by a pair of Tusculum errors gave Wingate a 10-4 lead in the opening set. A Stauffer kill cut the lead to five, but a Murach kill and two Pioneer errors pushed the advantage to eight. A Stumpff kill, along with a kill and a block from Potter gave the 'Dogs a 20-11 lead. Two more Murach kills helped Wingate take a 24-14 advantage, while another Murach kill finished the opening frame. The Bulldogs hit .281 with 15 kills in the first set, while Tusculum had just seven kills, hitting -.036.

Kills from Stumpff, Potter and Cooke helped Wingate take an 11-5 lead in set two. Tusculum scored the next four points, cutting the lead to two on a Hasse kill and Bulldog error. A Potter kill helped push the lead back to four, but an error trimmed the lead to three at 13-10. The Bulldogs responded with a 4-0 run, getting two Murach kills to take a 17-10 advantage. A Tusculum error, along with a kill from freshman middle blocker Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) made it 20-12. Back-to-back Stumpff kills put Wingate on top 24-14, while a Potter kill gave the 'Dogs a 2-0 lead in the match. The Bulldogs had 16 kills in the second set, hitting .342 while holding Tusculum to seven kills and a hitting percentage of -.032.

Kills from Garnett, Hasse and Stauffer helped the Pioneers take a 7-2 lead in the third set. Wingate used a 4-0 run to cut the lead to one at 10-9, getting a pair of kills from senior middle blocker Allison Rickher (Matthews, N.C.). Two Wingate errors and a Hasse kill gave Tusculum a 13-9 lead. The Bulldogs scored the next five points to take their first lead of the set. Hilton had two kills and a block in the flurry. The Pioneers regained the lead when a Garnett kill made it 17-16, but another Hilton kill tied it. Two more Stauffer kills put Tusculum on top 19-17, but the 'Dogs answered with a 6-1 run to go on top 23-20. Kills from Stumpff and Saehler put Wingate back on top, while Potter added a kill in the key spurt. Another Saehler kill made it 24-21, while a Hilton kill finished the match.

The Bulldogs hit .291 on the night, with 47 kills and 15 errors in 110 attacks. Tusculum had 24 kills and 22 errors in 95 attacks, hitting .021. Hilton, Potter and Saehler had three blocks each to lead the Bulldogs.

Wingate returns to action Saturday, traveling to Mars Hill to wrap up the first half of SAC play at 2 p.m. Tusculum hosts Coker Saturday at 12 p.m.