Mars Hill, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs won their 11th straight match Saturday afternoon, prevailing 3-0 at Mars Hill University in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action. Wingate won by scores of 26-24, 25-20 and 25-14 to improve to 18-2 overall and 11-1 in the SAC. Mars Hill falls to 5-14 overall and 3-9 in the conference.

Senior right-side hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) had 13 kills, seven digs and two aces to lead the Wingate attack, hitting .364. Junior All-American Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) hit .400 with eight kills and 15 digs, while sophomore outside hitter Katie Bludau (Seabrook, Texas) contributed seven kills. Redshirt sophomore Rachael Cecka (Plymouth, Wisc.) compiled six kills and five digs, while freshman Megan Schildmeyer (St. Charles, Ill.) had 16 assists and six digs. Freshman libero Kimberly Hovey (Raleigh, N.C.) collected 15 digs for the Bulldogs.

"Today Abby and Shelly were very good as usual," head coach Shelton Collier says. "We also had several non-starters enter the match and energize our team and elevate our level of play. It is great to win 3-0 and continue to see progress with our team."

Rebecca Butler had seven kills and 13 digs to lead the Mars Hill attack. Lauren Hochstetler and Maddie Spurgeon added six kills each, while Mary Kate Griffin had five kills for the Lions. Sarah Fahrenbrook handed out 24 assists, while Victoria Kaiser collected 15 digs.

Kills from Stumpff and Bludau gave the Bulldogs a 10-6 lead in set one. Mars Hill used a 6-0 run to take a 13-11 advantage, getting two aces from Griffin in the flurry. A Stumpff kill and Saehler block put the 'Dogs back on top by one, while kills from Saehler and Bludau made it 17-14. Kills from Bludau and Stumpff put Wingate on top 21-16, but a Griffin kill and Butler block, followed by another Griffin kill made it 22-21. A Butler block and Kaeser kill tied it at 23, but a Saehler kill made it 24-23. Butler tied it with a kill, but a Brewer kill put the Bulldogs back on top. Cecka capped the set with an ace.

Two Hochstetler aces helped the Lions jump out to a 12-6 lead in set two. Wingate scored the next five points, getting a pair of Stumpff kills to cut the lead to one. A Stumpff kill and MHU error put the 'Dogs on top 16-15. Kills from Stumpff and Cecka pushed the lead to two, while kills from Schildmeyer and Saehler were followed by a Cecka ace to make it 21-17. Back-to-back Saehler kills, followed by a Mars Hill error made it 24-20. Bludau ended the set with a kill.

The Lions raced out to an 8-4 lead in set three, but a Schildmeyer ace and MHU error made it 9-9. Kills from Cecka, Stumpff and Phoebe Havenaar (Naperville, Ill.) put the Bulldogs on top 12-10. A pair of Stumpff kills helped stretch the advantage to four at 16-12, while a Saehler kill and Stumpff ace put Wingate on top by eight. Back-to-back Cecka kills made it 23-14, while a Mars Hill error made it 24-14. The Bulldogs won the match on another MHU error.

Wingate hit .230 on the day, with 41 kills and 13 errors in 122 attacks. Mars Hill had 28 kills and 16 errors in 126 attacks, hitting .096. Cecka, Stumpff and Schildmeyer led the 'Dogs with two aces each.

Wingate is back in action Friday, hosting Lenoir-Rhyne at 7 p.m.