Box Score
 
Wingate, N.C.----The 12th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs had four players with at least nine kills Saturday afternoon, sweeping the visiting Bears of Lenoir-Rhyne University in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-16, 25-20 and 25-16 to improve to 10-1 overall and 3-0 in the SAC. LRU falls to 8-2 overall and 2-1 in the conference.

Junior right-side hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) had 11 kills, nine digs and five aces to lead the Wingate attack, hitting .478. Senior outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) added 10 kills and three blocks, hitting .450 for the match. Redshirt senior outside hitter Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) had nine kills and 11 digs, while sophomore middle blocker Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) added nine kills and two blocks. Redshirt senior setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) contributed 32 assists and 10 digs, while freshman libero Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) collected 12 digs.

"Our entire team deserves a lot of credit for playing well today," head coach Shelton Collier says. "We really played some high-level volleyball, which was rewarding for our players. I gave Lenoir-Rhyne my first-place vote in the preseason coach's poll, so I obviously have great respect for the team they have this year. We made some great progress in this match and we are excited about our upcoming matches."

Morgan Bunker had 11 kills and 10 digs to lead the LRU attack, hitting .357. Ashley Wells added eight kills, while Brooke Redmond had six kills and five digs. Briana Gottberg handed out 24 assists to go along with 10 digs, while Jillian Born collected 11 digs.

An Adams ace and a pair of Stumpff kills helped Wingate jump out to a 7-2 lead in the first set. LRU responded with a 6-0 run, tying it at nine on a block and a kill from Redmond. A Murach kill, along with a kill and a block from senior middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) pushed the Wingate lead to four at 13-9. The 'Dogs added a 5-0 run to push the advantage to nine. Freshman outside hitter Haley Henderson (Santa Fe, Texas) started the flurry with a kill, while Saehler added a pair of kills to make it 20-11. Kills from Stumpff and McGowan made it 24-15, while another McGowan kill capped the set.

Kills from Saehler and Murach helped the Bulldogs jump out to a 5-0 lead in set two. Two Stumpff aces, along with a Potter kill pushed the lead to six at 13-7. Kills from Wells and Bunker helped the Bears cut the lead to four at 17-13, but two McGowan kills and a Stumpff ace made it 20-13. Kills from Murach and Saehler put the Bulldogs on top 24-18, while a McGowan kill finished the set.

Lenoir-Rhyne jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the third set, but a block and a kill from Saehler helped the 'Dogs tie it at six. Kills from Saehler and Stumpff highlighted a 3-0 run that gave Wingate a 13-10 lead. A Wells kill cut the lead to two at 14-12, but back-to-back Stumpff kills made it 16-12. Another Stumpff kill, along with a Stumpff ace and McGowan kill gave the Bulldogs a 19-13 advantage. A Gottberg kill cut the lead to five at 21-16, but the 'Dogs closed the match with a 4-0 run. A Murach kill made it 24-16, while a block from Saehler and Cooke capped the match.

Wingate hit .286 on the afternoon, with 46 kills and 14 errors in 112 attacks. Lenoir-Rhyne had 30 kills and 15 errors in 105 attacks, hitting .143. Stumpff notched five of Wingate's eight aces, while Potter led the 'Dogs with four blocks.

Wingate is back in action Tuesday, hosting Queens at 7 p.m. to wrap up an eight-match home stand.