Box Score  

Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs hit a season-best .400 Friday night, sweeping the visiting Catawba College Indians in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action Friday night in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-14, 25-16 and 25-18 to improve to 19-2 overall and 15-0 in the SAC. Wingate has won 30 consecutive conference matches and 16 straight contests overall. Catawba falls to 3-13 overall and 3-11 in the SAC.

Redshirt senior right-side hitter Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) had eight kills and five digs in two sets of action, hitting .800 on the night. Junior middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) hit .700 with eight kills, adding two blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) and freshman middle blocker Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) also contributed eight kills apiece. Senior middle blocker Allison Rickher (Matthews, N.C.) had five kills and three blocks, hitting .833 on the night. Redshirt junior setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) handed out 23 assists, while sophomore setter Iris Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio) added 20 assists.

"This was a great win for us for many reasons," head coach Shelton Collier says. "Our offensive efficiency was excellent and all of our hitters had very strong matches. We are working to make continued progress in our game and tonight we showed some of that progress. We will enjoy the weekend off and prepare for a very difficult road trip next weekend."

Alex Hopper had five kills to lead the Catawba attack. Erin Morant added four kills and three blocks, while Haley Lanier and Ashley Brown had three kills each for the Indians. Kaytee Frabotta handed out 18 assists, while Leah Ryan had 10 digs.

Kills from Saehler and freshman right-side hitter Rachael Cecka (Plymouth, Wisc.) gave Wingate an 11-5 lead in the first set. Kills from Hopper and Morant helped Catawba cut the lead to three at 11-8. Two Hilton kills, along with a kill from Stumpff pushed the Wingate advantage to seven at 15-8. A Potter kill, followed by back-to-back kills from junior outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) gave Wingate a 23-14 advantage. Hilton capped the opening set with a kill, notching her fifth kill in five swings in the first frame. The Bulldogs hit .448 in set one with 16 kills and just three errors.

Kills from Potter and Murach gave Wingate a 10-7 advantage in the second set. A Morant kill trimmed the lead to one at 12-11, but a kill and a block from Rickher pushed the Wingate lead to three. A Bri Howard kill cut the lead to two, but a 5-0 Bulldog run made it 20-13. Hilton started it with a kill, while Cooke capped it with a kill and a block. A Potter kill gave the 'Dogs a 24-14 lead, while another Potter kill finished the frame. Wingate hit .484 in set two, with 18 kills and three errors.

The Indians jumped out to a 10-5 lead in the third set, getting a block from Lanier and Morant. Wingate responded with a 6-0 run to take an 11-10 advantage. Potter started it with a kill, while Stumpff added two aces. A kill and an ace from Potter, followed by a block and a kill from Saehler gave the 'Dogs a 15-11 lead. Catawba cut the lead to one when an ace from Frabotta made it 16-15, but a 4-0 run pushed the lead to five. Cecka started the flurry with a kill and a block, while Stumpff capped it with a kill. Kills from Cecka and Stumpff, along with a Catawba error gave the 'Dogs a 24-18 advantage. Stumpff finished the match with a kill.

The Bulldogs had 49 kills and 11 errors in 95 attacks on the night to register their season-best hitting percentage. Catawba had 22 kills and 16 errors in 83 attacks, hitting .072. Stumpff registered two of Wingate's six aces on the night.

The Bulldogs return to action Friday, traveling to Carson-Newman for a 7 p.m. start. Catawba will play at Coker Saturday at 2 p.m.