Hickory, N.C.----For only the second time in the last nine years, the 23rd-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs dropped conference road match in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action. The Lenoir-Rhyne University Bears defeated Wingate 3-2, prevailing 22-25, 25-15, 25-18, 17-25 and 15-10 to improve to 3-4 overall and 2-1 in the SAC. Wingate falls to 7-2 overall and 2-1 in the conference. Wingate's only other conference road loss since 2007 came in Hickory in 2012. The Bulldogs have won 143 of their last 147 league matches overall.

"Road matches in our league are always tough and tonight was an indication of that reality," head coach Shelton Collier says. "Obviously we came up short in a hard-fought five-set match and Lenoir-Rhyne deserves the credit for outplaying us on their home court."

Brooke Redmond had 11 kills to lead the Lenoir-Rhyne attack, adding nine digs and six blocks. Morgan Bunker and Brandi Thomas added eight kills each, with Bunker adding 17 digs. Ashley Wells chipped in with seven kills for the Bears, while Briana Gottberg handed out 18 assists. Bailey Cloninger collected 24 digs.

Junior middle blocker Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) had 18 kills to lead the Wingate attack. Junior right-side hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) added 16 kills and 21 digs, while junior middle blocker Tyler Smith (Aiken, S.C.) had 11 kills and four blocks. Freshman outside hitter Oakley Attaway (Belle Isle, Fla.) contributed nine kills and four digs for the Bulldogs, while senior setter Iris Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio) had 50 assists and 10 digs. Freshman libero Kimberly Hovey (Raleigh, N.C.) piled up 31 digs.

Kills from Attaway and Saehler gave Wingate a 7-4 lead in the opening set. A Thomas kill and Wingate error tied it at 10, while two more Bulldog errors put the Bears on top 13-11. Wingate used a 3-0 run to tie it at 16, getting a pair of Saehler kills in the flurry. Kills from Thomas and Emily Steele gave LRU a 20-17 advantage, but two Stumpff kills, along with a kill from Smith made it 21-21. Attaway followed with a kill to put the Bulldogs on top, but a Redmond kill tied it at 22. Stumpff answered with a kill, while a Lenoir-Rhyne error gave Wingate a 24-22 edge. Saehler capped the set with a kill.

Two kills and a block from Redmond gave the Bears a 7-3 lead in set two. Back-to-back Saehler kills cut the lead to three, but a Thomas kill and two Wingate errors gave LRU a 13-8 lead. A pair of Gottberg aces, along with a kill from Wells made it 20-11. A Saehler kill trimmed the lead to seven, but three more Wingate errors gave the Bears a 24-15 lead. A block from Abbi Stacherski finished the second set.

Kills from Stumpff and Smith gave the Bulldogs a 10-7 lead in the third set. Another Stumpff kill, along with a Lenoir-Rhyne error made it 12-8. LRU scored the next six points, taking a 14-12 lead on a Redmond block. The Bears added a 5-0 run to take a 20-14 advantage. LRU took advantage of three Wingate errors in the spurt. A Bunker kill and Thomas block made it 24-16, while another Bunker kill ended the frame.

Kills from Stumpff and Saehler put Wingate on top 9-7 in the fourth set. A kill from Stacherski cut the lead to one, but a Smith block and two LRU errors gave the 'Dogs a 13-9 edge. A Redmond kill trimmed the lead to two, but two Saehler kills and an Attaway kill made it 18-14. Kills from Stumpff and Attaway gave the Bulldogs a 22-16 lead. A Brewer ace made it 24-17, while a Lenoir-Rhyne error sent the match to a fifth set.

A Wells kill and Steele ace gave LRU a 9-4 lead in the fifth set. Kills from Bunker and Thomas, along with a Thomas kill made it 13-6. A block from Stumpff and Smith cut the lead to six, but a service error made it 14-7. Two Stumpff kills along with a Lenoir-Rhyne error made it 14-10, but a Steele kill capped the match.  

Lenoir-Rhyne hit .146 for the match, with 43 kills and 19 errors in 164 attacks. Wingate hit .141 with 60 kills and 33 errors in 192 attacks. The Bears piled up 12 blocks compared to Wingate's four, while the Bulldogs committed 14 service errors, while Lenoir-Rhyne committed just four service errors.

The Bulldogs are back in action Saturday, traveling to Brevard for a 2 p.m. match.