Anderson, S.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs won their ninth straight match Saturday afternoon, defeating Anderson University 3-0 in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action. Wingate won by scores of 25-22, 25-19 and 25-19 to improve to 16-2 overall and 10-1 in the SAC. The Trojans fall to 8-9 overall and 6-5 in the conference.
Junior All-American
Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) had 15 kills and 11 digs to lead the Wingate attack, playing as an outside hitter and a middle blocker while hitting .367. Freshman outside hitter
Oakley Attaway (Belle Isle, Fla.) added 11 kills, while senior right-side hitter
Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) contributed seven kills and 12 digs. Senior setter
Iris Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio) had 21 assists and six digs in two sets of action, while freshman libero
Kimberly Hovey (Raleigh, N.C.) collected 13 digs. The Bulldogs played a lineup that include five freshmen in the final frame.
"Road wins are always good, especially in a Saturday afternoon match following a Friday night match at another location," head coach
Shelton Collier says. "It was interesting for us to start five freshmen in the critical third set. They really elevated our level of play significantly, which was rewarding to see. We have another tough two-match road trip next weekend, so it was great for us to win both of our matches this weekend."
Marissa Mitter had six kills and six digs to lead the Anderson attack, while
Tinsley Hallman and
Serena Jackson added four kills each.
Priscilla Irizarry had 18 assists and seven digs, while
Emily Conrad piled up 18 digs for the Trojans.
Two Hallman aces and three Wingate errors gave the Trojans a 5-0 lead in the opening set. Kills from Saehler and Brewer, along with a Hovey ace made it 8-8. Anderson led 11-10 after a Hallman kill, but Wingate responded with a 5-0 run. A Brewer kill started the flurry, while kills from Saehler and Stumpff capped the spurt, giving the 'Dogs a 15-11 lead. A
Jessica Harris kill got the Trojans back within two at 17-15. A Stumpff kill, followed by back-to-back Attaway kills put the Bulldogs on top 21-15. Anderson scored the next four points, cutting the lead to two at 21-19 on back-to-back Wingate errors. The Bulldogs responded with a 3-0 run, getting a kill and a block from Stumpff to take a 24-19 advantage. An Anderson error capped the set.
A Mitter kill and
Megan Embry ace gave the Trojans a 10-7 lead in the second set. A block and an ace from Saehler, along with a kill from freshman
Phoebe Havenaar (Naperville, Ill.) tied the set at 10. Kills from Attaway and Stumpff put Wingate on top 13-12, but a Bulldog error and Harris kill put Anderson back on top 16-15. The Bulldogs answered with a 4-1 run, getting two Saehler kills along with a Stumpff ace to go on top 19-17. A block from Jackson tied it at 19, but Wingate responded by scoring the final six points of the frame. Attaway started the flurry with two kills and a block, while Havenaar added a kill and a block to make it 24-19. Another Havenaar kill ended the set.
Wingate raced out to an 8-2 lead in the third set, getting two kills each from Saehler and freshman
Hannah Givens (Greensburg, Ky.). Kills from Givens, Saehler and Attaway made it 14-4, while two more Attaway kills made it 17-7. A kill from
Allison Gaminde cut the lead to six at 18-12, but kills from Givens and Saehler stretched the lead back to eight. Kills from Gaminde and Jackson got Anderson within three at 22-19, but a kill from
Megan Schildmeyer (Saint Charles, Ill.), followed by a Trojan error made it 24-19. Attaway ended the match with a kill.
The Bulldogs hit .205 on the afternoon, with 46 kills and 20 errors in 127 attacks. Anderson had 23 kills and 19 errors in 113 attacks, hitting .035. Havenaar, Saehler and Brewer led Wingate with two blocks each.
The Bulldogs are back in action Friday, opening the second half of SAC play at Tusculum at 7 p.m. Wingate swept the Pioneers in Cuddy Arena in September. The Bulldogs will be back in Anderson next month, where the 2015 SAC Tournament will be held. Wingate will be looking for a 10th consecutive SAC Tournament title.
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