Box Score  

Newberry, S.C.----The 13th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs remained unbeaten in SAC play Friday night, sweeping the Wolves of Newberry College in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action. Wingate won by scores of 25-19, 25-14 and 25-15 to improve to 16-2 overall and 12-0 in the SAC. The Bulldogs have now won 13 consecutive matches this year and 27 straight league contests. Newberry falls to 10-8 overall and 5-7 in the conference.

Redshirt senior right-side hitter Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) had nine kills, seven digs and four blocks to lead the Wingate attack, hitting .316. Freshman middle blocker Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) added eight kills, while sophomore outside hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) had six kills and 14 digs. Senior middle blocker Allison Rickher (Matthews, N.C.) contributed five kills and five blocks, hitting .455. Redshirt junior setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) had 19 assists and seven digs, while junior libero Stephanie Tassone (Chicago, Ill.) collected 14 digs.

"This was another key road win for us," head coach Shelton Collier says. "We are aware we play Anderson tomorrow afternoon, and with them being right behind us in the standings it will be a challenging match for us. It was great for us to win 3-0, play well and make some progress."

Amanda Soper had eight kills and 16 digs to lead the Newberry attack. Holly Brisson added seven kills for the Wolves, while Logan Hayward had five kills. Chelsea Mayor had 16 assists and seven digs, while Elayni Stokes added 13 digs.

Wingate used a 7-0 run to take a 14-9 lead in the opening set. Stumpff had two kills in the spurt, while Hilton added a kill and two blocks. The Wolves scored the next four points, cutting the lead to one on an ace from Soper. A Hilton kill, Tassone ace and block from junior middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) pushed the lead back to four at 17-13. A block from Jessica King trimmed the lead back to two, but a Stumpff kill and Hilton ace made it 19-15. Kills from Potter and Rickher, along with a Newberry error gave the 'Dogs a 24-17 lead. Saehler capped the opening frame with a kill.

Kills from Saehler and Cooke gave Wingate a 9-7 lead in the second set. A pair of Bulldog errors cut the lead to one at 10-9. Wingate responded with an 8-1 run to take an 18-10 advantage. Hilton and Rickher each contributed a kill and two blocks in the flurry. A kill from freshman middle blocker Rachael Cecka (Plymouth, Wisc.) made it 22-13. A Saehler kill and Potter ace pushed the advantage to 10 at 24-14, while another Saehler kill finished the second frame.

A pair of kills from Stumpff and Potter helped Wingate jump out to an 8-2 lead in the third set. Three consecutive Bulldog errors trimmed the lead to two at 10-8. Kills from Saehler and Rickher, along with three Newberry errors gave Wingate a 15-10 lead. Two kills and two blocks from senior outside hitter Rianne Lang (Littleton, Colo.) gave the 'Dogs a 23-15 lead. A Cecka kill made it 24-15, while a Newberry error finished the match.

The Bulldogs hit .241 for the match, with 40 kills and 12 errors in 116 attacks. Newberry had 29 kills and 21 errors in 122 attacks, hitting .066 on the night. Rickher's five blocks were a match high, while Hilton added four.

Wingate returns to action Saturday, traveling to Anderson for a 2 p.m. match.