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Wingate, N.C.----The ninth-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs swept visiting Tusculum College Friday night in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-10, 25-22 and 25-21 to improve to 25-2 overall and 21-0 in the SAC. The 'Dogs have won 36 consecutive SAC matches dating back to last season and 22 straight contests this year. Tusculum falls to 19-9 overall and 14-7 in the conference.

Junior middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) piled up 14 kills in 19 swings, hitting .737 to go along two blocks. Redshirt senior right-side hitter Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) had 12 kills and 22 digs, while junior outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) had 10 kills, eight digs and a .318 hitting percentage. Sophomore outside hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) contributed 10 kills and 13 digs. Redshirt junior setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) had 45 assists and 10 digs, while junior libero Stephanie Tassone (Chicago, Ill.) added 10 digs.

"Tusculum is a very good team, so it was particularly rewarding for us to play well on senior night and win in three sets," head coach Shelton Collier says. "We have a chance to close out our SAC season undefeated tomorrow, so we hope to be ready."

Kassie Voelker led the Tusculum attack with seven kills. Danae Stauffer and Megan Hasse added six kills apiece. Hannah Berling had 11 assists and 10 digs, while Caitlyn Dean registered 15 digs.

Three early Potter kills helped Wingate jump out to an 8-3 lead in the first set. Two Murach kills spurred a 4-0 run that put Wingate on top 15-5. Kills from Murach and Stumpff, along with a kill from senior middle blocker Allison Rickher (Matthews, N.C.) put the 'Dogs on top 23-8. A Hilton kill made it 24-10, while a Stumpff kill capped the opening set. Wingate hit .452 in the first frame, with 18 kills in 31 swings, while Tusculum had just four kills, hitting -.061.

A pair of kills from Victoria Ashley helped TC take an 8-4 lead in the second set. The 'Dogs would respond with a 5-0 run to take a 14-12 advantage. Hilton had three kills in the flurry. Kills from Rickher and Potter, along with a Tassone ace made it 18-14. The Pioneers answered with a 3-0 run, cutting the lead to 18-17 on a block from Jaida Allen and Victoria Ashley. Potter and Murach answered with kills to push the lead to three at 21-18. TC trimmed the lead to one when a Voelker kill made it 22-21, but kills from Rickher and freshman Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) made it 24-21. Hilton slammed home a kill to cap the second frame.

Wingate used a 4-0 run to take a 12-5 lead in the third frame, getting two kills apiece from Murach and Potter. A Voelker block trimmed the lead to three at 13-10, but a 5-0 Wingate run made it 18-10. Rickher had a kill and two blocks in the spurt. TC used a 5-0 run to trim the lead back to two at 20-18 on a kill from Stauffer. Hilton pushed the lead back to three, but another Stauffer kill made it 21-19. Kills from Stumpff and Potter gave the Bulldogs a 23-20 advantage. A kill from sophomore setter Iris Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio) made it 24-21, while a block from Murach finished the match.

Wingate hit .291 on the match, with 55 kills and 18 errors in 127 attacks. Tusculum had 27 kills and 14 errors in 123 attacks, hitting .106.

The Bulldogs return to action Saturday, finishing their regular season at home against Mars Hill at 7 p.m. Tusculum travels to Coker for a 12 p.m. match.