Anderson, S.C.----The top-seeded Wingate University Bulldogs swept eighth-seeded Brevard College Friday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the 2015 South Atlantic Conference volleyball tournament at the Abney Center on the campus of Anderson University. The nine-time defending SAC Tournament champions won by scores of 25-19, 26-24 and 25-20 to improve to 27-3 overall, winning their 28th consecutive SAC Tournament match. Brevard ends its season at 12-17 overall.

SAC Player of the Year Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) had 13 kills and 14 digs to lead the Wingate attack, hitting .297 on the match. Honorable mention All-SAC outside hitter Oakley Attaway (Belle Isle, Fla.) added 11 kills and six digs, hitting .393 while All-SAC Freshman team member Anna Holmquist (Lincoln, Neb.) hit .471 with 10 kills. Sophomore outside hitter Katie Bludau (Seabrook, Texas) contributed seven kills while senior setter Iris Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio) had 31 assists and 13 digs. Second team All-SAC libero Kimberly Hovey (Raleigh, N.C.) piled up 21 digs.

"Brevard played really well and in my opinion is the most improved team in the league this year," head coach Shelton Collier says. "We were proud that we elevated our game today and won today. They had us beat in the second set and we had to fight back to get that one, which was a key to the match. We had some outstanding offensive performances today, plus we played great defense. We are proud to be moving on to the semifinals."

Fatima Gharachorloo had 11 kills and 16 digs to lead the Brevard attack. Savannah Cox added eight kills, while Kindle Kirkham contributed four kills for the Tornados. Erin Barr handed out 21 assists, while Aleksandra Vrvilo picked up 14 digs.

Kills from Attaway, Bludau and Stumpff helped Wingate jump out to a 6-2 lead in the first set. A pair of Holmquist kills pushed the lead to six, but a kill from Gharachorloo got Brevard within two at 12-10. Kills from Bludau and Holmquist made it 15-12, but a block from Cox made it 15-14. The Bulldogs scored the next seven points to take a 22-14 advantage. Brewer had two kills in the flurry, while Holmquist added a kill and an ace. An Attaway kill made it 24-18, while a kill from Stumpff ended the opening frame.

The second set featured 11 ties and three lead changes. A kill and an ace from Hannah Elmore helped Brevard jump out to a 5-1 lead, but back-to-back Attaway kills, along with a Stumpff kill made it 10-10. A Cox kill and two Wingate errors put the Tornados on top 15-12, but an Attaway kill and two Holmquist kills tied it at 16. A Stumpff kill and Brevard error put the 'Dogs on top, but kills from Cox and Ruble gave Brevard a 23-21 advantage. Back-to-back Brevard errors tied it at 23, while a Holmquist kill put the Bulldogs on top 24-23. A Wingate error tied it at 24, but a Brevard error gave the lead back to the Bulldogs. A kill from freshman Phoebe Havenaar (Naperville, Ill.) capped the set.

Back-to-back Attaway kills put Wingate on top 9-6 in set three. Kirkham answered with a pair of kills to get Brevard within one, but a 5-0 run put the 'Dogs on top 15-9. Stumpff had a pair of kills in the flurry. An Elmore kill got the Tornados within three at 15-12, but a kill from Bludau stretched the WU advantage back to five. Brevard scored the next four points, cutting the lead to one when a Gharachorloo kill made it 17-16. Kills from Stumpff and Bludau, along with a Stumpff ace and Brevard error gave Wingate a 21-16 advantage. Kills from Holmquist and Tyler Smith (Aiken, S.C.) made it 24-20, while a Stumpff kill ended the match.

Wingate hit .294 on the day, with 47 kills and 10 errors in 126 attacks. Brevard had 29 kills and 12 errors in 123 attacks, hitting .128.

The Bulldogs are back in action Saturday, playing in the SAC semifinals at 1:30 p.m. Wingate will take on the winner of Friday afternoon's match between Catawba and Lincoln Memorial. The Bulldogs will be looking to advance to the SAC title match for the 11th consecutive year.