Wingate, N.C.----The ninth-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs hit .366 for the match Saturday afternoon en route to a 3-0 victory over visiting Tusculum College in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-17, 25-18 and 25-15 to improve to 18-1 overall and 11-0 in the SAC. The 'Dogs have now won 48 consecutive SAC matches and 131 of their last 133 league contests overall. The Pioneers see their nine-match winning streak come to an end, falling to 10-9 overall and 9-2 in the conference.

Senior outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) had 12 kills to lead the Wingate attack, adding two aces while hitting .312 for the match. Junior right-side hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) added 11 kills, eight digs and six aces, hitting .400 for the match. Sophomore middle blocker Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) contributed nine kills in 12 swings, hitting .583 to go along with two blocks. Senior middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) had eight kills and two aces, hitting .467. Redshirt senior setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) had 39 assists and five digs, while freshman libero Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) and senior outside hitter Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) each had 14 digs.

"We had a number of players who had some very impressive offensive performances, which was great to see," head coach Shelton Collier says. "Tusculum is certainly one of the best and most enthusiastic teams in the league, so playing this well today against such a strong opponents was really rewarding for us. We are proud of where we stand at the halfway point of the SAC season and we are looking forward to the second half of the schedule."

Megan Hasse, Rachel Garnett and Laryssa Welch had seven kills each to lead the Tusculum attack. Sabrina Schleuger added six kills, while Shannon Murphy handed out 16 assists. Moriah Jones collected nine digs for the Pioneers.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the opening frame, getting two kills and an ace from Murach along with two Saehler kills. Wingate added a 5-0 run to take a 15-5 lead. Saehler capped the flurry with back-to-back kills. Kills from Stumpff and McGowan made it 20-11, while a Saehler kill made it 24-15. A Tusculum error ended the first frame. Wingate piled up 17 kills against just one error in set one, hitting .571.

A pair of blocks from Erin Carmody gave Tusculum a 9-7 lead in the second set. Wingate tied it at 11 on kills from Potter and Murach, but a Schleuger kill put the Pioneers back on top by one. The Bulldogs answered with a 4-0 run, getting kills from Murach and Stumpff along with a Saehler block. A Welch kill and Wingate error tied it at 17, but the 'Dogs responded with a 7-0 run to take a 24-17 advantage. Stumpff started the flurry with a kill and an ace, then followed a Potter kill with four consecutive aces to make it set point. Cooke capped the frame with a kill.

Stumpff and Murach contributed two early kills apiece to give the Bulldogs a 6-2 lead in set three. A Potter kill made it 9-4, but a Schleuger kill cut the lead to three at 9-6. Wingate answered with a 6-0 run to push the lead to nine. McGowan had a kill and an ace in the spurt, while Murach added two kills. A Hasse kill got the Pioneers to within four at 17-13, but a 3-0 Wingate run, capped by a Murach ace made it 20-13. Back-to-back Stumpff kills put the Bulldogs on top 23-14, while a Potter block made it 24-15. Stumpff capped the match with her sixth ace of the night.

Wingate had 48 kills against 11 errors in 101 attacks to hit .366 for the match. Tusculum had 30 kills and 10 errors in 94 attacks, hitting .213. Stumpff contributed six of Wingate's 13 aces, with Murach and Potter adding two each.

The Bulldogs are back in action Tuesday, starting a four-match road trip at Queens at 7 p.m.