Box Score  

Wingate, N.C.----The top-seeded and ninth-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs swept the eighth-seeded Crusaders of Belmont Abbey Thursday night in the NCAA Southeast Regional volleyball quarterfinal match in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-17, 25-15 and 25-15 to improve to 30-2 overall. The Crusaders end their season at 28-4 overall.

SAC Player of the Year Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) had 12 kills, 13 digs and three blocks to lead the Wingate attack, hitting .500 on the afternoon. Sophomore outside hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) added 10 kills, seven digs and three aces, while senior middle blocker Allison Rickher (Matthews, N.C.) had eight kills and three blocks. Redshirt junior setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) had 34 assists and 12 digs, while junior libero Stephanie Tassone (Chicago, Ill.) piled up 18 digs.

"This was a great win for our team tonight for so many reasons," head coach Shelton Collier says. "Belmont Abbey is a very good team and we worked very hard to be tactically prepared for this match and we are proud of our performance. Also, we are aware that the NCAA Tournament is survive and advance, so we are pleased we get to move on and play in the next round."

Lydia Schellenberg had 10 kills to lead the Belmont Abbey attack. Hannah Schellenberg added five kills and 10 digs for the Crusaders. Abby Stine had 10 assists and 11 digs, while Gabby Martinez registered 10 assists and eight digs. Ana Maria Pagan collected 11 digs for the Crusaders.

A Stumpff ace and Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) kill gave Wingate an 8-5 lead in set one. Belmont Abbey cut the lead to one via back-to-back Wingate errors. Kills from Rickher and junior outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) helped the Bulldogs stretch the lead to four at 11-7. Back-to-back Hilton kills pushed the lead to five at 13-8. Kills from Hilton, Stumpff and senior Rianne Lang (Littleton, Colo.) made it 18-9. A Potter kill and Belmont Abbey error made it 24-14, while a Crusader error capped the set.

A kill from Lydia Schellenberg gave the Crusaders a 9-6 lead in set two. Wingate tied it at nine on a Murach kill and Rickher block. Back-to-back Hilton kills put Wingate on top 12-11, but a Wingate error tied it at 12. The Bulldogs used a 5-0 run to take a 17-12 advantage. Stumpff started it with a kill, while a Cooke kill capped it. A Stumpff ace and Potter kill, followed by another Stumpff ace made it 21-13. Kills from freshmen Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) and Rachael Cecka (Plymouth, Wisc.) made it 24-15. A Belmont Abbey attack error capped the second frame.

Kills from Stumpff and Rickher gave the 'Dogs an early 8-3 lead in set three. Kills from Hilton and Stumpff made it 13-5. Kills from Lydia Schellenberg and Claire Lang cut the lead to four at 13-9. The Bulldogs scored the next four points to extend the lead to eight. Potter had a kill in the flurry, while Hilton added two aces. A pair of Saehler kills made it 22-13, while kills from Stumpff and Murach pushed the lead to 24-14. Rickher finished the match with a kill.

The Bulldogs hit .296 on the match, with 48 kills and 14 errors in 115 attacks. Belmont Abbey had 25 kills and 16 errors in 113 attacks, hitting .080. Hilton and Rickher led the way with three blocks each, while Stumpff's four aces were a match high.

Wingate will take on Anderson in the regional semifinals Saturday at 6:30 p.m. The Bulldogs won all three matches against the Trojans in the regular season, including a 3-0 victory in the SAC championship match.