Box Score  

Indian Trail, N.C.----The 16th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs swept the Bobcats of Lees-McRae College in NCAA Division II volleyball action Sunday afternoon at Carolina Courts. The Bulldogs won by scores of 25-11, 25-21 and 25-16 to improve to 8-2 overall. The Bobcats fall to 1-11 on the season.

Junior outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) had nine kills and six digs to lead the Wingate attack. Sophomore outside hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) added six kills and two blocks. Junior middle blocker Jenna Flanigin (Aldie, Va.), along with freshmen middle blockers Rachael Cecka (Plymouth, Wisc.) and Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) had four kills apiece. Sophomore setter Iris Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio) handed out 27 assists, while freshman libero Cherokee Washington (Los Angeles, Calif.) registered a match-high 14 digs.

"Today we had a chance to work on some things that will help us win conference matches," head coach Shelton Collier says. "We also had a chance to create some meaningful playing time for some other players. It was fun for us to play at the Carolina Courts facility, which is a unique environment."

Haydn Beatty had 10 kills to lead the Lees-McRae attack. Avalon Liscio added six kills and seven digs, while Jordan Banta had five kills. Candace Niemiec handed out 18 assists, while Angela Morse collected 10 digs.

A pair of Stumpff kills gave the Bulldogs a 9-4 lead in the opening set. LMC cut the lead to three when a Wingate error made it 10-7. The 'Dogs responded with an 8-0 run, taking an 18-7 lead on a Murach kill. Stumpff added a kill and a block in the spurt. Two more Murach kills gave Wingate a 24-11 advantage, while a Lees-McRae error finished the set.

A kill from Stumpff, along with a block from Brewer and freshman middle blocker Tyler Smith (Aiken, S.C.) gave Wingate an 11-4 lead in the second set. A Smith kill, along with a block from Saehler and Flanigin made it 15-7. A 5-0 Bulldog run made it 22-11. Cecka had a kill and a block in the flurry, while Washington capped it with an ace. A kill from senior outside hitter Kayla Osterhus (Matthews, N.C.) gave the 'Dogs a 23-14 advantage, while an LMC error made it 24-16. The Bobcats used a 5-0 run to cut the advantage to three at 24-21, but an attack error capped the second frame.

Wingate used a 4-0 run to take a 13-10 lead in the third set. Flanigin had two aces in the flurry. A 5-0 run from the Bulldogs made it 18-11. Smith and Saehler each contributed a kill and a block in the spurt. A kill from Morse cut the lead to five at 21-16. The Bulldogs answered with a 4-0 run to end the match. Smith started it with a kill, while a Washington ace and Murach kill made it 24-16. A block from Murach and Flanigin capped the match.

Wingate hit .250 on the afternoon, with 33 kills and 12 errors in 84 attacks. LMC had 25 kills and 24 errors in the match, hitting .011. Smith and Flanigin had four blocks each to lead the Bulldogs, while Washington and Flanigin had two aces apiece.

Wingate returns to action Friday, hosting Carson-Newman at 7 p.m.