Wingate, N.C.----The seventh-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs won their 19th consecutive match Friday night, sweeping the visiting Railsplitters of Lincoln Memorial University in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-17, 25-19 and 25-19 to move to 25-1 overall and 18-0 in the SAC. The 'Dogs have now won 55 consecutive conference matches dating back to the 2012 season. LMU falls to 15-11 overall and 11-7 in the SAC.

Junior right-side hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) had 13 kills and 12 digs to lead the Wingate attack. Senior outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) added eight kills, four digs and three aces, hitting .615 on the night. Senior middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) and sophomore middle blocker Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) added six kills each. Redshirt senior setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) had 33 assists and 11 digs for the Bulldogs.

"This was a special win for us on Senior Night," head coach Shelton Collier says. "Obviously it was important to win the match, but tonight we were able to honor and appreciate our six seniors, which was great for our team and our fans. Lincoln Memorial played us very tough earlier this season, so it was great for us to win more convincingly this time around."

Kiera Holland had five kills to lead the LMU attack, while Abby Cash had five kills to go along with 15 assists and 11 digs. Jazzy Oates, Kara Solek and Brooke Fleeman contributed four kills each for the Railsplitters. Casey Mense collected 10 digs for LMU.

Wingate jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the opening set, getting three kills and two aces from Murach. A Stumpff kill and Saehler ace made it 11-3, but a Holland kill and Wingate error trimmed the lead to four at 13-9. A kill and a block from Saehler stretched the lead back to six at 18-12. A kill from Allison McKinnon got LMU to within four at 21-17. A Saehler kill and Cooke block gave the Bulldogs a 24-17 advantage, while an LMU error capped the opening set.

Wingate jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the second frame, getting four Saehler kills in the early spurt. LMU trimmed the lead to three at 14-11 on a kill from Oates. Kills from Stumpff and Murach made it 17-12, but a pair of kills from Cash cut the lead to one at 17-16. A Potter block put the 'Dogs on top by three, but another Oates kill helped the Railsplitters get back to within one. Potter slammed home a pair of kills to make it 22-18, while kills from Stumpff and Cooke made it 24-19. An ace from freshman Katie Bludau (Seabrook, Texas) capped the second set.

A MaRanda Boddie kill, along with two Wingate errors gave Lincoln Memorial a 12-9 lead in set three. The Bulldogs answered with five straight points, taking a 14-12 lead on a Murach kill. A Stumpff kill pushed the lead to three at 16-13, while a 4-0 run gave the 'Dogs a 20-14 advantage. Bludau started the flurry with a block and a kill, while Potter also had a block and a kill in the spurt. LMU got back to within four at 22-18 on a block from Boddie, but a Stumpff kill and Lincoln Memorial error made it 24-19. Wingate claimed the match on a kill from senior middle blocker Jenna Flanigin (Aldie, Va.).

The Bulldogs had 40 kills and 13 errors in 101 attacks on the night, hitting .267. LMU hit .048 for the match, with 26 kills and 21 errors in 105 attacks. Murach had three of Wingate's seven aces, while Potter's three blocks were a match high.

The Bulldogs are back in action Saturday, hosting Carson-Newman at 2 p.m.