Wingate, N.C.----The seventh-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs played only their second five-set match of the season Saturday evening, prevailing 3-2 against Newberry College in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-12, 22-25, 26-28, 25-10 and 15-10 to improve to 24-1 overall and 17-0 in the SAC. Newberry falls to 12-13 overall and 6-11 in the conference.

Junior right-side hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) had 20 kills, 11 digs and three aces to lead the Wingate attack, hitting .300 for the match. Senior middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) added 13 kills and three blocks, hitting .722 on the night. Senior outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) had 11 kills, nine digs and three blocks, while freshman outside hitter Katie Bludau (Seabrook, Texas) hit .389 with nine kills and four digs. Redshirt senior setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) piled up season highs of 50 assists and 19 digs, while freshman libero Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) collected a career-high 26 digs.

"As a coach, I appreciated Newberry's effort and desire to pull off what certainly would have been a major upset on our home court," head coach Shelton Collier says. "As far as our team is concerned, we were able to see how we would respond to being down 2-1 in a match and under significant pressure, so it required us to step up and find a way to win."

Holly Brisson had 10 kills to lead the Newberry attack. Jessica King added eight kills and three blocks, while Madison Darby-McClure and Logan Hayward contributed seven kills each. Ashley Minor had 18 assists, while Rachel Moran registered 17 assists and 11 digs. Elayni Stokes collected 19 digs for the Wolves.

Wingate jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the opening frame, getting two kills from sophomore middle blocker Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa). Two Potter kills, along with a Bludau ace pushed the lead to 14-4. The Bulldogs added a 5-0 run to take a 20-7 advantage. Murach and Stumpff capped the flurry with kills. Kills from Bludau and Stumpff made it 24-10, while a Potter kill finished the set.

Kills from Murach and senior outside hitter Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) gave the 'Dogs a 10-7 lead in the second set. A Saehler ace pushed the lead to four at 12-8, but Newberry reeled off four consecutive points, tying it at 12 on four straight Wingate errors. An ace from King gave the Wolves a 15-14 lead, but a Newberry error and McGowan ace put the 'Dogs back on top by one. A Stumpff kill gave the Bulldogs a 20-19 advantage, but a Brisson kill and two Wingate errors put Newberry on top 22-20. A McGowan kill cut the lead to one, but a Moran kill and Wingate error made it 24-22. Newberry tied the match on a Brisson ace.

The third set stayed tight throughout, featuring 19 ties and six lead changes. Kills from Brisson and Hayward, along with a Wingate error gave the Wolves a 13-10 lead. A Potter kill, along with two Potter blocks sparked a 3-0 run to tie it at 13. A Brisson kill made it 17-15, but Wingate responded with a 4-0 run, taking a 19-17 lead on a Stumpff kill. Newberry scored the next three points, taking a 20-19 lead on back-to-back aces from Bre Murphy. Kills from Stumpff and Murach put the 'Dogs on top 23-22, while a Murach kill made it 24-23. A McClure kill tied it at 24, but Wingate earned another set point on a Potter kill. The Wolves tied it at 25 on a King kill, then took the lead on a Wendy Davis block. A Bludau kill tied it at 26, but kills from King and Brisson capped the set to give the Wolves a 2-1 lead in the match.

The Bulldogs raced out to an 11-3 lead in the fourth set. Murach had two kills and two blocks in the early spurt, while Bludau and Stumpff added two kills each. Kills from Potter and Cooke, along with a Stumpff ace made it 16-6. Wingate added a 6-0 run to take a 22-8 lead, getting two aces from senior Stephanie Tassone (Chicago, Ill.) in the spurt. Kills from Potter and Murach made it 24-10, while a Newberry error sent the match to a fifth set.

Kills from Stumpff and Potter, along with a Stumpff ace gave the 'Dogs a 6-4 lead in the fifth set. A McClure kill cut the lead to one, but a Newberry error and Murach kill made it 8-5. Kills from Potter and Murach put the Bulldogs on top 11-7. A kill and a block from King cut the lead to two at 12-10, but kills from Stumpff and Bludau made it 14-10. Potter capped the match with a kill. Wingate hit .526 in the final frame, with 11 kills and one error in 19 swings.

The Bulldogs hit .289 for the match, with 69 kills and 21 errors in 166 attacks. Newberry had 43 kills and 20 errors in 160 attacks, hitting .144. Stumpff had three of Wingate's 11 aces, while Potter and Murach's three blocks each led the team.

Wingate is back in action Friday, hosting Lincoln Memorial at 7 p.m. on Senior Night.