Harrogate, Tenn.----The 10th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs overcame an opening set loss Friday night, winning the final three sets of the match to prevail 3-1 at Lincoln Memorial University in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action. Wingate won by scores of 13-25, 27-25, 25-12 and 25-17 to improve to 14-1 overall and 7-0 in the SAC. The Bulldogs have won 44 consecutive SAC matches and 125 of their last 127 league contests overall. LMU falls to 8-7 overall and 4-3 in the conference.

Senior middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) had 12 kills to lead the Wingate attack, adding a pair of blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) added 11 kills and seven blocks while hitting .368 for the match. Junior right-side hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) contributed 11 kills and 16 digs, while senior outside hitter Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) registered three kills and a season-high 20 digs. Redshirt senior setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) had 36 assists, 10 digs and three kills, while freshman libero Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) collected 13 digs and two aces.

"Lincoln Memorial is always tough in their gym and it is really challenging to win there," head coach Shelton Collier says. "It looked like we were going to go down 2-0, but we really had to elevate our play and fight back to tie the match at one set apiece. We are proud of a hard-fought road win against a team that was obviously highly motivated playing at a high level tonight."

Kiera Holland had eight kills and nine digs to lead the LMU attack. MaRanda Boddie added seven kills and four blocks, hitting .400, while Allison McKinnon contributed six kills. Abby cash had 26 assists, 12 digs, three kills and three blocks, while Casey Mense compiled 18 digs.

LMU jumped out to an 8-5 lead in set one, but three straight Potter kills tied it at eight. A Boddie kill and Holland block put the Railsplitters on top 13-11, but a kill from freshman outside hitter Haley Henderson (Santa Fe, Texas) cut the lead to one. LMU scored the next five points, taking an 18-12 lead on back-to-back McKinnon blocks. A Stumpff kill cut the lead to five, but Lincoln Memorial responded with the last seven points of the set. Bristol Snider had two aces in the late flurry.

A Holland ace gave LMU an early 7-4 lead in set two, but a kill and two aces from Stumpff tied it at seven. A kill from senior outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.), followed by a block from Stumpff and Saehler gave the 'Dogs a 15-13 lead. A Boddie kill tied it at 18, while a Wingate error put LMU on top by one. A kill from Allison Beavers gave the Railsplitters a 21-20 advantage, but a Murach kill, followed by two Saehler kills put Wingate ahead 23-22. Kills from Brooke Fleeman and Holland gave LMU a 24-23 lead, but Saehler helped the 'Dogs stave off set point with a kill, while a Stumpff kill put Wingate on top 25-24. Holland tied it at 25 with a kill, but a Potter kill put the Bulldogs back on top, while a Cooke kill capped the set, tying the match 1-1.

An 8-0 run gave Wingate a 10-3 lead in the third set. Potter had two kills in the spurt, while Adams added an ace in her strong service run. A block and a kill from Potter put the Bulldogs on top 15-6, while a Murach kill and block made it 19-8. Kills from Stumpff and freshman outside hitter Katie Bludau (Seabrook, Texas) made it 24-11, while another Bludau kill finished the set. Wingate hit .344 in the third frame, while LMU hit .029.

Wingate jumped out to a 7-2 lead in set four, getting two kills apiece from Saehler and Stumpff. A Bludau kill made it 11-5, but LMU scored the next five points, with a Boddie kill and two Wingate errors making it 11-10. The Bulldogs pushed the lead to 13-10 on two LMU errors, but another 5-0 Lincoln Memorial run gave the Railsplitters a 16-13 advantage. Mense had two aces in the flurry. Back-to-back Saehler blocks, followed by a Stumpff kill tied the set at 16, while an LMU error capped the 4-0 run that put Wingate back on top. A Wingate error tied the set one final time, but the Bulldogs responded by scoring the last eight points of the match. Saehler started it with a kill, while a block from Saehler and Stumpff made it 22-17. Another Saehler kill made it 24-17, while an ace from senior defensive specialist Stephanie Tassone (Chicago, Ill.) finished the match.

The Bulldogs hit .150 on the night, with 53 kills and 30 errors in 153 attacks. LMU had 36 kills and 20 errors in 142 attacks, hitting .113. Tassone, Stumpff, Cooke and Adams had two aces apiece for Wingate, while Saehler's seven blocks were a match high.

The Bulldogs are back in action Saturday, traveling to Carson-Newman for a 5 p.m. match. The Bulldogs and Eagles both enter the match at 7-0 in conference play.