Salisbury, N.C.----The seventh-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs won their 16th consecutive match Tuesday night, prevailing 3-0 at Catawba in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action. Wingate won by scores of 27-25, 25-13 and 25-17 to improve to 22-1 overall and 15-0 in the SAC. The Bulldogs have now won 52 consecutive SAC matches and 135 of their last 137 league matches overall. Catawba falls to 5-16 overall and 3-12 in the SAC.

Sophomore middle blocker Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) led a balanced Wingate attack with nine kills, hitting .400 while adding three blocks. Junior right-side hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) added eight kills with a .368 hitting percentage, while senior middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) contributed six kills in two sets, hitting .667. Freshman outside hitter Katie Bludau (Seabrook, Texas) also had six kills, while senior outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) had five kills, four digs and two blocks. Redshirt senior setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) had 28 assists, five digs and three kills, while freshman libero Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) collected 14 digs.

"This was a good win for us for a number of reasons," head coach Shelton Collier says. "The first set was really competitive and could have gone either way. We are showing we can step up and win tight sets in road matches. Our offense was once again very strong, plus we held the top Catawba hitters to low hitting percentages, which was one of our goals."

Erin Morant had seven kills to lead the Catawba attack. Alex Hopper added six kills, while Bri Howard registered five kills for the Indians. Kaytee Frabotta had 16 assists and seven digs, while Hadleigh Loy collected nine digs.

Wingate used a 4-0 run to take an 11-6 lead in the opening set. Bludau had a kill and an ace in the spurt. A kill and a block from Murach gave the Bulldogs a 14-8 advantage, but a 4-0 Catawba run tied the set at 16 on a Howard kill. A pair of Potter kills, along with a Cooke kill put the 'Dogs on top 20-17, but a kill from Alex Hopper cut the lead to one at 21-20. A Murach kill gave Wingate a 23-21 lead, but a Morant kill and Frabotta ace tied it at 23. Catawba took a 24-23 lead on a Wingate error, but a Saehler kill staved off set point. Bludau gave the 'Dogs a 26-25 lead, while an ace from Stumpff capped the opening set.

The Bulldogs used a 4-0 run to take a 12-7 lead in set two, getting a Saehler kill and two Stumpff aces. A 6-0 run pushed the advantage to 18-8. Murach started the flurry with a kill, while Saehler capped it with a kill and a block. Kills from Murach and sophomore defensive specialist Skylar Ricard (Greensboro, N.C.) made it 23-12, while a Potter kill made it 24-12. A Catawba error finished the second set.

A 5-0 run put Wingate on top 13-8 in the third set. Bludau had two kills in the flurry. A McKenzie Garrison kill cut the lead to two at 14-12, but a kill and a block from Stumpff helped the Bulldogs push the lead to five at 17-12. Kills from freshman outside hitter Stefani Nell (Tulsa, Okla.) and sophomore middle blocker Tyler Smith (Aiken, S.C.) made it 21-14. Another Smith kill, along with two kills from freshman outside hitter Haley Henderson (Santa Fe, Texas) made it 24-17. Saehler capped the match with a kill. The Bulldogs piled up 18 kills in 29 attacks in the final frame, hitting .483 for the set.

Wingate had 46 kills and 13 errors in 99 attacks, hitting .333 for the night. Catawba had 25 kills and 20 errors in 91 attacks, hitting .055. Stumpff had three of Wingate's six aces, while Adams added two aces for the Bulldogs.

Wingate is back in action Friday, opening a five-match home stand against Anderson at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs host Newberry Saturday at 5 p.m.