Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs clinched at least a share of the South Atlantic Conference regular season title for the 10th straight year Friday night, sweeping visiting Newberry College in SAC volleyball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-22, 25-18 and 27-25 to improve to 25-3 overall and 19-2 in the SAC. The Wolves fall to 11-16 overall and 7-14 in the conference.

Senior right-side hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) celebrated Senior Night with a match-high 13 kills, adding seven digs and three aces. Freshman outside hitter Oakley Attaway (Belle Isle, Fla.) added nine kills, while freshman Phoebe Havenaar (Naperville, Ill.) hit .545 with seven kills, four digs and three blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Katie Bludau (Seabrook, Texas) also had seven kills, hitting .462 on the night to go along with four digs. Senior setter Iris Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio) handed out 23 assists, while freshman Kimberly Hovey (Raleigh, N.C.) collected 16 digs.

"It is always fun to win on Senior Night," head coach Shelton Collier says. "Additionally, this was obviously a very important conference win for our team. Iris and Shelly have had very successful careers here, so it was great for both of them and our entire team to win on our Senior Night."

Alexus Horton had nine kills to lead the Newberry attack, hitting .273. Logan Hayward added seven kills and nine digs, while Madison Darby-McClure had five kills for the Wolves. Rachel Moran handed out 16 assists, while Kensley Jordan picked up 12 digs.

A Horton kill and Moran ace gave the Wolves an 11-7 lead in the opening set. A Bludau kill and Stumpff ace trimmed the lead to one at 13-12, but a Hayward kill and Jordan ace made it 17-14. An Attaway kill, followed by a block from Stumpff and Havenaar got the 'Dogs back within one, but another Moran kill gave Newberry a 20-17 advantage. The Bulldogs scored the next six points to take a 23-17 lead. Stumpff had three kills and a block in the spurt, while freshman Anna Holmquist (Lincoln, Neb.) also had a pair of blocks. A Hayward kill made it 23-21, but an error gave the Bulldogs a 24-21 advantage. Bludau capped the frame with a kill. Wingate hit .417 in the opening set, with 16 kills and just one error.

A block and a kill from Havenaar put Wingate on top 10-8 in set two. A Stumpff kill made it 13-10, but a pair of Wingate errors got the Wolves within one. A Brewer kill and Bludau ace pushed the lead back to three at 16-13, but a kill from Darby-McClure, along with two Moran aces put the Wolves on top 17-16. A Brewer kill put the 'Dogs back on top, while an Attaway kill made it 19-17. Wingate scored the next four points, getting a kill and a block from Havenaar to take a 23-17 lead. A kill from sophomore Rachael Cecka (Plymouth, Wisc.) made it 24-17. A Stumpff kill ended the set.

Two early kills from Stumpff put Wingate on top 5-1 in the third frame. A Horton kill got Newberry within one at 8-7, but an Attaway kill gave the 'Dogs an 11-7 lead. A Stumpff kill helped Wingate take a five-point lead at 14-9, but three straight Wingate errors made it 14-12. The Wolves used a 5-0 run to take a 17-15 lead, getting a kill and a block from De Jong in the flurry. Kills from Bludau and Attaway tied it at 17, but a Hayward kill gave Newberry a 19-17 advantage. Kills from Attaway and Havenaar tied it at 20, while another Attaway kill and a Newberry error gave the Bulldogs a 22-21 lead. Darby-McClure tied it at 22 with a kill, but a pair of Newberry errors gave Wingate a 24-23 lead. A Horton kill and Wingate error put the Wolves on top 25-24, but a Bludau kill tied it at 25. Wingate regained the lead on a Newberry error, while a Stumpff ace ended the match.

The Bulldogs hit .268 on the night, with 46 kills and 16 errors in 112 attacks. Newberry had 31 kills and 15 errors in 103 attacks, hitting .155. Havenaar's three blocks were a match high, while Stumpff had three of Wingate's five aces.

The Bulldogs are back in action Saturday, hosting Anderson at 5 p.m. A win would clinch an outright regular season SAC title for Wingate.