Mars Hill, N.C.----For the ninth consecutive year, the 12th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs are regular season SAC champions. The 'Dogs guaranteed at least a share of this year's title with a 3-1 win at Mars Hill Friday night in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action. The 'Dogs won by scores of 23-25, 25-19, 25-22 and 25-22 to improve to 27-2 overall and 20-1 in the SAC. The Lions fall to 9-19 overall and 8-13 in the conference.

Junior right-side hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) had 15 kills, four digs, three blocks and three aces to lead the Wingate attack. Sophomore middle blocker Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) added 14 kills and four blocks, hitting .480 for the match. Senior middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) contributed 13 kills and a .440 hitting percentage, while senior outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) had 11 kills and 18 digs. Redshirt senior setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) had 49 assists, 14 digs and three kills, while freshman libero Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) collected 15 digs.

"We knew before the match we were going to be in for a tough battle and this proved to be true," head coach Shelton Collier says. "Sometimes to win, a team just has to grind it out after a long bus ride and playing on the opponents' court, so were pleased to be able to do that here."

Rebecca Butler and Lauren Hochstetler had 12 kills each to lead the Mars Hill attack, adding 15 and 10 digs, respectively. Mary Kate Griffin had 11 kills, while Devon Felts contributed nine kills for the Lions. Andie Russell had 25 assists, while Christen Nicholson had 14 digs.

A Cooke ace and Murach kill gave the Bulldogs a 13-10 lead in the opening set. A Hochstetler kill made it 18-17, but a Mars Hill error put Wingate back on top by two. The Lions answered with a 4-0 run, taking a 21-19 lead on a Felts kill and Butler ace. Kills from Saehler and Stumpff tied it at 21, while a block from Saehler and Potter put the 'Dogs on top by one. A Felts kill tied it, but a Lion error put Wingate ahead 23-22. The fifth service error of the opening frame tie the set at 23, while another Bulldog error gave MHU the 24-23 advantage. Hochstetler finished the opening set with a kill.

A kill and two aces from Stumpff put the 'Dogs on top 9-4 in the second set. Kills from Stumpff and Murach, along with a Saehler block made it 13-6. A Hochstetler block cut the lead to four at 14-10, but a 4-0 run put the Bulldogs on top 20-11. Stumpff had two kills in the flurry, while Potter capped it with a kill. Kills from Potter and Murach made it 23-16, while a Saehler kill made it 24-18. Another Saehler kill capped the set, tying the match 1-1. Wingate piled up 19 kills in the second frame, hitting .438.

The Lions jumped out to a 4-1 lead in set three, but a Potter kill and Stumpff ace tied it at six. It would remain tight the rest of the way, with no team leading by more than three. A Butler kill and Wingate error gave the Lions a 16-14 lead, but kills from Stumpff, Potter and Cooke tied it at 17. A Griffin kill put Mars Hill on top 19-18, but two Lion errors gave the 'Dogs the lead. A Butler kill made it 20-20. Kills from Saehler and Stumpff gave Wingate a 22-20 advantage, but Butler responded with a kill to cut the lead to one. Saehler answered with a kill, while a Potter kill made it 24-21. A block from Potter and Stumpff capped the third set, giving Wingate a 2-1 lead in the match.

A Murach ace, along with back-to-back Stumpff kills gave Wingate a 9-5 lead in the fourth set. A Griffin kill trimmed the lead to two at 10-8, but Potter answered with a kill to make it 11-8. Two Griffin kills sparked a 3-0 MHU run that tied it at 11. The Bulldogs used a 5-0 run to take a 17-13 lead, with Saehler starting the flurry with a kill and Stumpff capping it with a kill. A Butler kill and two Wingate errors tied it at 18. The teams would then trade points, with the 'Dogs taking a 21-20 lead on a Potter kill, only to have the Lions tie it at 21 on a service error. A Murach kill was answered by a Hochstetler kill, making it 22-22. A Mars Hill error put the Bulldogs on top by one, while a Murach kill made it 24-22. Saehler slammed home one final kill to give Wingate the match.

The Bulldogs hit .240 on the night, with 58 kills and 18 errors in 167 attacks. Mars Hill had 47 kills and 24 errors in 160 attacks, hitting .144 for the match. Saehler's four blocks were a match high, while Stumpff had three of Wingate's seven aces.

The Bulldogs are back in action Saturday, wrapping up the regular season at Tusculum at 2 p.m. A victory would give Wingate the outright regular season conference title.