Hickory, N.C.----The eighth-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs notched their 15th consecutive victory Saturday afternoon, sweeping Lenoir-Rhyne University in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action. Wingate won by scores of 25-22, 25-17 and 25-23 to improve to 21-1 overall and 14-0 in the SAC. The 'Dogs have now won 51 consecutive SAC matches and 134 of their last 136 league contests. Lenoir-Rhyne falls to 14-7 overall and 8-6 in the SAC.

Senior outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) had 13 kills and 11 digs to lead the Wingate attack, hitting .333 for the match. Sophomore middle blocker Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) had nine kills in 14 swings, hitting .643 while adding five blocks. Senior middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) hit .350 with nine kills, while junior right-side hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) contributed eight kills, nine digs, two blocks and two aces. Redshirt senior setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) piled up 38 assists, seven digs and three kills, while redshirt senior outside hitter Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) contributed 13 digs.

"This was an interesting match for us," head coach Shelton Collier says. "We definitely struggled throughout the entire match to establish a consistent level of play, but coming out with a good road win was very important for us today."

Brooke Redmond had nine kills, five digs and three blocks to lead the Lenoir-Rhyne attack. Ashley Wells added six kills, while Brandi Thomas and Haley Rhyne had five kills each for the Bears. Briana Gottberg handed out 24 assists, while Morgan Bunker collected 11 digs.

Wingate used a 7-0 run to take an 11-5 lead in the opening set. Murach had two kills and a block in the flurry. LRU battled back, cutting the lead to one at 14-13 on a block from Rhyne and Thomas. A Jillian Born ace and Wingate error gave the Bears a 17-16 lead, while a Thomas kill made it 19-17. Trailing 20-18, the 'Dogs used a 4-0 run to go on top by two. Potter started the spurt with a kill, while a kill and a block from Cooke capped the flurry. A Wells kill tied it at 22, but back-to-back Murach kills gave the Bulldogs a 24-22 advantage. Saehler capped the opening frame with a kill.

Kills from Murach and Stumpff put Wingate on top 12-8 in set two. An error cut the lead to three, but a McGowan kill helped the Bulldogs push the lead to five. Wingate added a 4-0 run to push the advantage to eight at 18-10. Saehler started the spurt with a kill, while Stumpff capped it with back-to-back kills. Kills from Potter and Saehler made it 24-15, while a kill from freshman outside hitter Haley Henderson (Santa Fe, Texas) capped the set.

A Potter kill and Saehler block gave Wingate a 10-8 lead in the third set. LRU used a 4-0 run to take a 12-10 advantage on a Thomas block. A Murach kill cut the lead to one, but Wells answered with a kill to make it 14-12. Three consecutive Stumpff kills put Wingate back on top 15-14, but a Gottberg kill and Bulldog error gave the Bears an 18-16 lead. The Bulldogs responded with four straight points, with Murach and Potter each contributing two kills to make it 20-18. Lenoir-Rhyne scored the next three points, taking a 21-20 lead on a Redmond kill. A Murach kill tied it, but an error put the Bears back on top 22-21. Back-to-back kills from Murach gave the Bulldogs a 23-22 lead, while a Lenoir-Rhyne error made it 24-22. Thomas answered with a kill, but the 'Dogs went to Saehler, who slammed home a kill to finish the match.

Wingate hit .269 on the match, with 45 kills and 16 errors in 108 attacks. Lenoir-Rhyne had 30 kills and 19 errors in 104 attacks, hitting .106. Saehler's five blocks were a match high.

The Bulldogs are back in action Tuesday, traveling to Catawba for a 7 p.m. match. Tuesday's match caps a stretch where nine of 11 matches were played on the road.