Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs won their sixth straight match Thursday night, sweeping the visiting Catawba College Indians in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-18, 25-13 and 25-18 to improve to 13-2 overall and 7-1 in the SAC. Catawba falls to 7-8 overall and 4-4 in the conference.

Senior right-side hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) had 12 kills, 15 digs and three blocks to lead the Wingate attack, hitting .345 for the match. All-American middle blocker Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) hit .370 with 12 kills, nine digs and four blocks, while freshman outside hitter Oakley Attaway (Belle Isle, Fla.) hit .412 with nine kills. Junior middle blocker Tyler Smith (Aiken, S.C.) contributed six kills and four blocks, while senior setter Iris Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio) piled up 36 assists, seven digs and five kills. Sophomore Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) collected 14 digs, while freshman Kimberly Hovey (Raleigh, N.C.) added 11 digs for the Bulldogs.

"We needed a home match like this where we were tested and had to play at a high level to win," head coach Shelton Collier says. "We did a great job with our block and defense against some talented Catawba hitters and our offense was very good at time as well. I was particularly impressed with the defense of Kimberly Hovey, who really made the difference in the third set."

Erin Morant had six kills to lead the Catawba attack, hitting .385. Bri Howard added five kills and two blocks, while Rachel Gallup contributed three kills for the Indians. Kaytee Frabotta had 15 assists and 13 digs, while Evan Schultz added 10 digs.

Kills from Attaway, Stumpff, Saehler and Katie Bludau (Seabrook, Texas) helped the Bulldogs jump out to a 7-3 lead in the opening set. Two kills and a block from Saehler pushed the lead to eight at 14-6, but kills from Hopper and Morant got the Indians within three at 16-13. A kill from Smith pushed the lead to four, but back-to-back blocks from Howard got Catawba within one at 18-17. Wingate had the emphatic response, scoring the next six points to take a 24-17 lead. Saehler had two kills in the flurry, while back-to-back Bludau kills capped the spurt.

A kill from Morant gave Catawba an 8-5 lead in set two. The 'Dogs scored the next six points to take an 11-8 advantage. Saehler had a kill and two aces in the spurt. A kill from Howard cut the lead to two, but Wingate scored nine of the next 10 points to take make it 20-10. Smith had a kill and two blocks in the flurry, while Attaway added two kills. An ace from Adams, along with an Anna Holmquist (Lincoln, Neb.) kill made it 24-12, while a Saehler kill ended the frame. Wingate hit .379 in set two, while Catawba had just five kills, hitting .034.

Kills from Howard and Alex Hopper gave Catawba a 13-10 lead in the third set. The Bulldogs scored the next three points, tying it at 13 on a block from Saehler and Holmquist. The Indians took a 17-15 lead on an ace from Schultz. An Attaway kill, followed by back-to-back Stumpff kill put Wingate on top 18-17. A kill from Gallup tied it at 18, but the 'Dogs closed out the set with seven straight points. Attaway and Stumpff started the flurry with kills, while two kills and a block from Saehler made it 24-18. Brewer capped the match with a kill. Wingate piled up 19 kills in the third set, hitting .333.

The Bulldogs hit .293 for the match, with 49 kills and 15 errors in 116 attacks. Saehler had two of Wingate's four aces on the night, while Saehler and Smith led the 'Dogs with four blocks apiece.

The Bulldogs are back in action Saturday, hosting a tri-match. Wingate will face Queens at 12 p.m., then take on seventh-ranked Wheeling Jesuit at 5 p.m. in a rematch of the 2013 NCAA national quarterfinals.