Hickory, N.C.----The 12th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs picked up their second sweep of the 2014 SAC Tournament Saturday evening, defeating fifth-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne 3-0 in the SAC volleyball tournament semifinals. Wingate improves to 30-2 overall, advancing to Sunday's championship match for the 10th consecutive year. LRU falls to 22-9 overall.

First team All-SAC right-side hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) had 10 kills and seven digs to lead the Wingate attack. Second team All-SAC sophomore Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) also had 10 kills, hitting .350 while adding two blocks. Second team all-conference outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) added eight kills and five digs, while first team All-SAC middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) hit .467 with seven kills. First team all-conference setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) piled up 36 assists, nine digs and four blocks, while honorable mention All-SAC libero Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) had nine digs.

"This was such an impressive win for us for a number of reasons," head coach Shelton Collier says. "First, we had a number of players step up and play really well tonight. Second, being able to win an important SAC Tournament match against Lenoir-Rhyne on their home court was a tough challenge, and we are excited about playing for the championship Sunday."

Haley Rhyne had seven kills to lead the LRU attack, while Brittany Toffan, Ashley Wells and Brooke Redmond added six kills each. Briana Gottberg handed out 24 assists, while Rhyne had a team-best 10 digs for the Bears.

Wingate used a 5-0 run to take a 10-6 lead in the opening set. Potter had two kills and two blocks in the flurry. LRU answered with four straight points, tying it at 10 on a pair of Wells kills. Two Murach kills, along with a Saehler kill gave the 'Dogs a 14-10 lead, while another Murach kill made it 16-11. A Redmond ace and Rhyne kill got the Bears to within one at 19-18, but Saehler slammed home a pair of big kills to make it 24-21. Back-to-back Wingate errors made it 24-23, but the Bulldogs finished the set on a Stumpff kill.

Two Cooke aces and two Murach kills helped the 'Dogs jump out to an 8-3 lead in the second set. A Rhyne block cut the lead to one, but two kills and an ace from Stumpff, along with a Potter kill made it 14-8. A Saehler kill put Wingate on top 18-12, but a kill and a block from Wells helped LRU cut the lead to three at 18-15. Kills from Saehler and freshman Katie Bludau (Seabrook, Texas) helped the 'Dogs stretch the lead to six at 21-15. A Redmond kill trimmed the lead to three, but kills from Cooke and senior defensive specialist Stephanie Tassone (Chicago, Ill.) made it 23-18. A Stumpff kill made it 24-19, while a Potter kill ended the set.

Three Stumpff kills, along with a Bludau kill gave the 'Dogs a 9-3 lead in the third set. A Rhyne kill cut the lead to five, but the Bulldogs scored the next eight points. Stumpff had a kill and an ace in the flurry, while a Potter kill capped the spurt, making it 17-4. A kill from freshman Haley Henderson (Santa Fe, Texas) gave the 'Dogs a 19-5 advantage. A Saehler block, followed by a kill from senior Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) made it 24-15. An ace from Iris Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio) capped the match.

Wingate hit .233 for the match, with 44 kills and 17 errors in 116 attacks. LRU had 30 kills and 20 errors in 104 swings, hitting .096. Cooke's four blocks were a match high, while Potter added three. Stumpff and Cooke had two aces apiece.

The Bulldogs will face the winner of Saturday night's Carson-Newman vs. Anderson match in Sunday's title match. The contest begins at 3 p.m. on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne University.