Hartsville, S.C.----The ninth-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs picked up their 11th straight win Tuesday night, wrapping up a five-match road trip with a 3-0 win at Coke College in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action. Wingate won by scores of 25-10, 25-18 and 25-21 to improve to 16-1 overall and 9-0 in the SAC. The Bulldogs have now won 46 consecutive conference matches. Coker falls to 3-13 overall and 0-9 in the SAC.
Redshirt senior outside hitter
Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) had 12 kills to lead the Wingate attack, adding nine digs. Freshman outside hitter
Katie Bludau (Seabrook, Texas) added nine kills with a .615 hitting percentage, while freshman outside hitter
Haley Henderson (Santa Fe, Texas) had six kills. Senior middle blocker
Jenna Flanigin (Aldie, Va.) and sophomore middle blocker
Tyler Smith (Aiken, S.C.) contributed five kills each. Junior setter
Iris Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio) handed out 25 assists, while freshman libero
Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) collected 13 digs.
"We accomplished a number of objectives with this win tonight," head coach
Shelton Collier says. "We created some valuable opportunities for some of our players who are not normally in the starting lineup, plus we made some progress in several important aspects of our game.
Alexis Berles,
Celia Duggan and
Megan Hardy had three kills each to lead the Coker attack, while
Christen Bragg and
Libby Merrifield added two kills apiece. Bragg added 10 assists, while
Samantha Celek registered nine digs. Wingate held
Madison Bingle, Coker's leader in kills, to just one kill and a hitting percentage of -.308.
Wingate used a 4-0 run to take an 8-3 lead in the opening set, with Henderson contributing two kills in the flurry. A Bragg kill cut the lead to one at 10-9, but the Bulldogs used a 14-0 run to go on top 24-9. McGowan had three kills in the spurt, while Smith added two kills and two blocks. A McGowan kill finished the opening frame. Wingate hit .536 in the first set, with 16 kills and just one error in 28 swings. Coker had just four kills, hitting -.129.
A Bludau kill gave the 'Dogs a 10-7 lead in set two. A 4-0 Wingate run made it 18-10, with freshman
Natalya King (Parker, Colo.) notching a pair of kills in the spurt. A Duggan kill and two Wingate errors trimmed the lead to three at 21-18, but a Henderson kill pushed the lead to four. Smith capped the second frame with a kill.
A kill and a block from King, along with a Henderson kill put the Bulldogs on top 9-3 in the third set. A Bragg kill cut the lead to two at 13-11, while a Celek kill and Wingate error put the Cobras on top 17-15. The Bulldogs answered with a 5-0 run, highlighted by a Bludau kill and King block to go on top 20-17. A block and a kill from Berles helped Coker tie it at 21, but the 'Dogs answered with the last four points of the match. Bludau started it with a kill, while Flanigin added a kill to make it 24-21. Bludau capped the match with a kill.
Wingate hit .286 on the night, with 45 kills and 17 errors in 98 attacks. Coker had 15 kills and 23 errors in 91 attacks, hitting -.088 on the match. Smith's three blocks were a match high.
The Bulldogs return home Friday night, hosting Mars Hill at 7 p.m. Wingate is home again on Saturday, taking on Tusculum at 5 p.m.
