Wingate, N.C.----The seventh-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs held visiting Anderson University more than 160 points below its season hitting percentage Friday night en route to a 3-0 victory in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-12, 25-22 and 25-21 to improve to 23-1 overall and 16-0 in the SAC. The 'Dogs have won 53 straight conference matches and 136 of their last 138 league contests since 2007. Anderson falls to 18-6 overall and 11-5 in the conference.
Sophomore middle blocker Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) had 10 kills and two blocks to lead the Wingate attack, hitting .316 on the night. Junior right-side hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) added six kills and eight digs, while senior Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) and Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) along with freshman Katie Bludau (Seabrook, Texas) contributed five kills each. Redshirt senior setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) had 26 assists, 15 digs and two blocks, while freshman libero Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) collected 17 digs.
"Anderson is a very good team with several all-conference players, so this was a great win for us," head coach Shelton Collier says. "Our team was very motivated and well-prepared for the challenge of what we considered a very big home match for us and it was very rewarding for us to play at such a high level on offense and defense tonight."
Hailey Pittman had eight kills to lead the Anderson attack, adding four blocks. Pittman entered the night with a SAC-best .422 hitting percentage, but was held to a .133 hitting percentage Friday. Shannon Gillespie and Kendall Vallancourt added five kills each for the Trojans. Priscilla Irizarry had 20 assists, 11 digs and two kills, while Alix Hooker collected 16 digs.
Wingate used a 4-0 run to take a 9-6 lead in set one, getting a kill and a block from Potter. A Saehler kill made it 14-8, while back-to-back Stumpff kills pushed the lead to eight at 17-9. A 5-0 run put the 'Dogs on top 22-10, with Saehler providing a kill and a block in the flurry. A Bludau kill made it 24-11, while a kill from senior middle blocker Jenna Flanigin (Aldie, Va.) capped the set. Wingate hit .393 in the opening frame, while Anderson hit .000.
Two Cooke aces, along with two Murach kills sparked a 4-0 run that gave Wingate an 11-6 lead in set two. Kills from Murach and Saehler pushed the lead to six at 20-14, but a 5-0 Anderson run cut the lead to one at 20-19 on back-to-back Pittman kills. Two Anderson errors, along with a Murach ace made it 23-19, but two Wingate errors and a Pittman kill cut the lead back to one at 23-22. A Saehler kill made it 24-22, while a block from Potter and senior Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) capped the set.
A kill and a block from Saehler, along with two Potter aces helped Wingate jump out to a 5-0 lead in set three. The Trojans answered with a 7-0 run, taking a 7-5 lead on a Vallancourt ace. The 'Dogs answered with a 7-0 run of their own, getting two Cooke aces in the spurt to take a 12-7 advantage. A Gillespie kill and Jessica Harris block cut the lead to one at 14-13, but a McGowan kill pushed the Wingate lead back to two. The Trojans answered with a 5-0 run, taking an 18-15 lead on an Irizarry kill. A pair of Potter blocks, along with an Anderson error tied it at 18. A Cooke kill gave the Bulldogs a 20-18 lead, but a Harris kill made it 20-19. Wingate responded with four straight points, getting kills from Potter, Saehler and Bludau to make it 24-19. Another Bludau kill capped the match.
Wingate had 37 kills and 14 errors in 108 attacks, hitting .213 on the night. Anderson had 27 kills and 21 errors in 117 attacks, hitting .051 for the match. Cooke had four of Wingate's nine aces, while Bludau and Potter added two each. Potter also had a team-best four blocks.
The Bulldogs are back in action Saturday, hosting Newberry at 5 p.m.
