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Wingate, N.C.----The 14th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs swept visiting Lincoln Memorial University Saturday afternoon in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-23, 25-15 and 25-15 to improve to 10-2 overall and 6-0 in the SAC. The Bulldogs have now won 21 consecutive league matches. LMU falls to 8-6 overall and 4-2 in the conference.

Junior outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) had 11 kills and 10 digs to lead the Wingate attack. Sophomore outside hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) added seven kills, eight digs and four aces, while redshirt senior right-side hitter Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) had six kills and a team-best 13 digs. Sophomore setter Iris Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio) handed out 16 assists, adding six digs and four aces, while redshirt junior Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) added 13 assists, five digs and three blocks. Junior libero Stephanie Tassone (Chicago, Ill.) contributed 12 digs.

"LMU is obviously a very good team with a win over Tusculum, so they have been playing at a high level," head coach Shelton Collier says. "It was an important win for us because I feel LMU can challenge for a SAC championship. We did not play as well as we will need to on offense but it was good enough to win 3-0 at home."

Kendra Gephart had six kills, eight digs and three blocks to lead the LMU attack. Kaitlin Walton and Jazzy Oates added five kills each, while Brooke Fleeman had four kills. Casey Mense had a match-high 24 digs for the Railsplitters, while Abby Cash had 15 assists and 10 digs.

The Bulldogs used a 7-0 run to take an 18-11 lead in the opening set. Murach had two kills, while Brewer added two aces in the spurt. Hilton and freshman middle blocker Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) also teamed up for a pair of blocks. LMU would answered with a 10-3 run, tying the set at 21. The Railsplitters took advantage of six Wingate errors in the flurry. A pair of kills from junior middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) gave the 'Dogs a 24-22 advantage. Murach finished the opening frame with a kill.

Wingate used a 5-0 run to take an early 7-4 lead in set two. Stumpff and Potter had two kills each. A pair of Murach kills, along with two Brewer aces gave the 'Dogs a 16-7 advantage. A kill from Oates and Wingate error cut the lead to seven at 19-12, but two Murach kills pushed the advantage back to nine. Another Murach kill, along with an LMU error made it 24-14, while a Railsplitter error capped the second set.

The Bulldogs used a 6-0 run to take a 12-5 lead in the third set. Cooke and Potter teamed for two blocks in the spurt, while Stumpff added a kill and two aces. Kills from Murach and senior middle blocker Allison Rickher (Matthews, N.C.) made it 18-7. A kill from freshman middle blocker Rachael Cecka (Plymouth, Wisc.), along with a block from Stumpff made it 23-12. Rickher finished the match with a kill.

Wingate hit .136 on the match, with 35 kills and 20 errors in 110 attacks. LMU had 26 kills and 20 digs in 113 attacks, hitting .053. Stumpff and Brewer combined for eight of Wingate's 10 aces on the day, while Potter had a match-high five blocks.

The Bulldogs return to action Tuesday, traveling to Coker for a 7 p.m. start. LMU hosts Queens Friday at 7 p.m.