Box Score  

Newberry, S.C.----The top-seeded and ninth-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs swept the sixth-seeded Anderson University Trojans Sunday afternoon in the Food Lion SAC volleyball tournament championship match. Wingate won by scores of 25-23, 25-19 and 25-18 to improve to 29-2 overall, winning its eighth consecutive SAC Tournament title. Anderson falls to 18-14 overall.

The Bulldogs have now won 16 SAC championships since 2006, winning eight consecutive regular season conference titles to go along with the eight straight tournament championships. Wingate receives an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, earning a SAC-record ninth consecutive appearance. The Bulldogs have been the top-ranked team in the NCAA regional poll all year, and have a strong chance of hosting the NCAA Southeast regional tournament for the fifth time in six years. Wingate has now won 26 consecutive matches this season and 46 consecutive contests against SAC opponents.

"It was great for this year's team to win both the regular season title and conference tournament championship," head coach Shelton Collier says. "It takes a special effort to win the regular season title and it requires a much different mentality to win three matches in three days to win the tournament. As we are proud of this team's accomplishments this year, I just say that for Wingate to have won both titles for eight straight years, with so many other good teams in our conference, is an absolutely amazing accomplishment for our program. With winning today we are very confident that we will be hosting the NCAA Regional Tournament at Wingate, which is very exciting for us."

Two-time SAC Player of the Year Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) had 12 kills, 13 digs and five blocks to lead the Wingate attack. Sophomore outside hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) added nine kills, six aces and four digs, while senior middle blocker Allison Rickher (Matthews, N.C.) had seven kills in 10 swings, hitting .700 while adding a match-high six blocks. Junior outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) contributed six kills and six digs, while redshirt junior setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) had 27 assists, 15 digs and three kills. Junior libero Stephanie Tassone (Chicago, Ill.) contributed 15 digs for the Bulldogs.

Priscilla Irizarry had 14 kills and 13 digs to lead the Anderson attack, hitting .414 on the afternoon. Shannon Gillespie added eight kills and 10 digs, while Hailey Pittman had seven kills for the Trojans. Meghan Cautero handed out 26 assists, while Alix Hooker collected 19 digs.

Hilton was named the tournament MVP for the second consecutive year. The 2012 AVCA All-American is the first player in SAC volleyball history to earn league Player of the Year honors and tournament MVP honors in back-to-back seasons. Cooke and Rickher join Hilton on the All-Tournament team from Wingate. Hooker and Irizarry earned All-Tournament honors from Anderson.

A kill and a block from Gillespie gave Anderson an early 8-4 lead in the first set. Kills from Cooke and junior middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa), followed by two Stumpff aces tied it at eight. Back-to-back Murach kills put the 'Dogs on top 13-10, while a Hilton kill and two Rickher kills pushed the lead to five at 16-11. The Trojans answered with a 6-1 run, tying it at 18 on a Cautero ace. Kills from Stumpff and Murach put Wingate on top 21-19, but Anderson tied it at 22 on a kill from Tinsley Hallman. Kills from Murach and Hilton gave the Bulldogs a 24-22 advantage. Gillespie answered with a kill to make it 24-23, but a Hilton kill capped the opening frame.

A kill and an ace from Stumpff put Wingate on top 10-5 in the second set. A kill and a block from Rickher pushed the lead to six at 13-7. A Hallman ace and Pittman kill cut the lead to three at 15-12, but kills from Potter and Cooke made it 18-13. Stumpff added two more aces to help put the 'Dogs on top 22-15. A Murach kill made it 24-17, while a Rickher kill capped the set.

A 7-0 run put Wingate on top 11-3 in the third frame. Hilton capped the flurry with a kill and a block. The Trojans answered with five straight points, cutting the lead to three on a kill and a block from Gillespie. A kill and an ace from Stumpff pushed the advantage back to six for Wingate. A kill and a block from Hilton, followed by a Stumpff kill made it 20-13. A Hilton kill and Stumpff block put the 'Dogs on top 24-17, while a Cooke kill ended the match.

Wingate hit .252 on the afternoon, with 44 kills and 14 errors in 119 attacks. Anderson had 38 kills and 21 errors in 127 attacks, hitting .134.  

The Bulldogs and Trojans will learn their postseason fate Monday night, when the NCAA Division II tournament field is announced live on NCAA.com at 7:30 p.m.