Box Score  

Harrogate, Tenn.----The ninth-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs won their 32nd consecutive SAC match Saturday afternoon, prevailing 3-1 at Lincoln Memorial University in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action. Wingate won by scores of 25-17, 21-25, 25-21 and 25-10, guaranteeing at least a share of the regular season SAC title for the eight consecutive season. The Bulldogs are 21-2 overall and 17-0 in the SAC, while LMU falls to 15-10 overall and 11-6 in the conference.

Redshirt senior right-side hitter Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) piled up 14 kills, 12 digs, eight assists and three blocks to lead the Wingate attack, hitting .355 on the afternoon. Junior outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) added 13 kills and eight digs, hitting .400 while junior middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) had 13 kills, seven digs, eight blocks and a .417 hitting percentage. Sophomore outside hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) contributed 11 kills and 14 digs, while senior middle blocker Allison Rickher (Matthews, N.C.) had eight kills and five blocks, hitting .500. Sophomore setter Iris Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio) handed out 28 assists, adding four kills and three blocks while redshirt junior Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) added 26 assists, five digs and three kills. Junior libero Stephanie Tassone (Chicago, Ill.) collected 23 digs for the Bulldogs.

"When looking at the scores this weekend, it may look like a couple of routine 3-1 wins," head coach Shelton Collier says. "The reality is we were down 14-7 in the third set last night and 14-8 in the third set today and we really had to elevate our level of play to win. This is the third straight weekend we were able to beat the second place SAC team on their home floor, which is an impressive accomplishment for us."

Brooke Fleeman had 11 kills to lead the LMU attack. Allison Beavers added eight kills and 11 digs, while Jazzy Oates had seven kills, four digs and four blocks. Abby Cash handed out 17 assists for the Railsplitters, while Casey Mense registered 21 digs.

Kills from Potter, Cooke and Murach gave Wingate an 11-6 lead in the opening set. The 'Dogs pushed the lead to seven on a Murach kill. A pair of Rickher blocks helped Wingate take a 17-10 advantage. A Fleeman kill and Wingate error cut the lead to four at 19-15, but a pair of Murach kills pushed the lead back to five at 21-16. Kaitlin Walton answered with a kill to cut the lead to four, but Wingate responded by scoring the final four points of the frame. Rickher and Hilton started the flurry with kills, while a Stumpff kill made it 24-17. Rickher capped the opening set with a kill.

Back-to-back Stumpff kills gave the Bulldogs a 14-11 advantage in the second set. LMU answered with a 3-0 run, tying it at 14 on a Kendra Gephart ace. Kills from Murach and Potter gave Wingate an 18-16 lead, but a 5-0 Lincoln Memorial run gave the Railsplitters a 21-18 advantage. Walton started the flurry with a kill and an ace, while another Walton ace finished the spurt. Kills from Beavers and Gephart, followed by a Mense ace made it 24-19. Oates capped the frame with a kill.

A pair of Gephart aces gave the Railsplitters a 10-4 lead in the third set. A Walton kill gave LMU a 14-8 advantage, but Wingate answered with an 11-3 run to take the lead. Murach and Hilton started the spurt with kills, while Potter added three kills and two blocks. A Fleeman kill tied it at 19, but another Potter kill, followed by an LMU error gave the 'Dogs a 21-19 lead. A Potter ace put Wingate on top 23-20, while a Murach kill made it 24-21. Hilton capped the frame with a kill.

A 5-0 run gave the Bulldogs an 11-6 lead in the fourth set. Potter had two kills and a block in the flurry. After a Wingate error made it 11-7, the 'Dogs reeled off nine consecutive points to take control of the set. Murach had two kills and a block in the spurt, while Rickher added a kill and two blocks. A pair of Hilton kills, along with another Rickher block made it 24-9. Hilton finished the match with a kill. The Bulldogs hit .593 in the fourth set, with 16 kills and no errors in 27 swings.

Wingate hit .356 on the afternoon, with 66 kills and 13 errors in 149 attacks. LMU had 38 kills and 21 errors in 140 attacks, hitting .121. Potter's eight blocks were a match high. Gephart had a match-high five aces for the Railsplitters.

Wingate returns to action Friday, traveling to Lenoir-Rhyne for a 7 p.m. start.