Brevard, N.C.----Coming off only their second conference road loss in nine years, the 23rd-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs rallied from an opening-set loss Saturday afternoon en route to a 3-1 victory at Brevard College in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action. Wingate won by scores of 23-25, 25-15, 25-23 and 25-17 to improve to 8-2 overall and 3-1 in the SAC. Brevard falls to 2-6 overall and 1-3 in the conference.

Senior right-side hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) piled up 19 kills and 12 digs to lead the Wingate attack, hitting .366 for the match. Junior All-American Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) added 16 kills and 10 digs, while freshman outside hitter Oakley Attaway (Bell Isle, Fla.) contributed nine kills. Sophomore Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) had 29 assists and six digs, while senior Iris Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio) had 24 assists in two sets. Freshman libero Kimberly Hovey (Raleigh, N.C.) piled up 29 digs.

"We played several lineups looking for a combination that would allow us to get out with a win today," head coach Shelton Collier says. "We did some positive things today while at the same time we really showed some areas that must improve for us to win tough conference road matches."

Fatima Gharachorloo had 13 kills and eight digs to lead the Brevard attack. Rachel Ruble added 12 kills, while Hannah Elmore contributed seven kills. Erin Barr handed out 35 assists, while Aleksandra Vrvilo collected 21 digs.

Back-to-back aces from Kristen Rathbun gave Brevard a 12-8 lead in the opening set, while a Gharachorloo kill made it 15-9. A pair of Stumpff kills got Wingate within three at 18-15, but a kill from Elmore made it 21-15. A kill from Gharachorloo made it 23-17, but a block and an ace from Adams, along with a Stumpff kill cut the lead to two. A Rubel block gave Brevard a 24-21 lead, but a Stumpff block and Katie Bludau (Seabrook, Texas) kill made it 24-23. A Ruble kill ended the opening frame.

Wingate raced out to a 6-0 lead in set two, with Stumpff and Attaway contributing two kills each in the flurry. Back-to-back Saehler kills made it 11-3, but a Savannah Cox kill got Brevard within five at 11-6. Kills from Saehler and Attaway helped the 'Dogs stretch the lead to eight at 15-7. Kills from Saehler and Stumpff made it 19-11, while an Attaway kill was followed by a kill and an ace from Adams to make it 24-15. Stumpff capped the frame with a kill. The Bulldogs hit .516 in set two, with 18 kills and just two errors.

A block from Cox and two Wingate errors put the Tornados on top 12-5 in set three. An Anna Holmquist (Lincoln, Nebr.) kill cut the lead to five, but a Gharachorloo kill pushed the lead back to six. A pair of Stumpff kills got the Bulldogs within two, but a Ruble kill and Wingate error made it 17-12. Two Tyler Smith (Aiken, S.C.) kills got the 'Dogs within two, but a kill from Cox made it 19-16. Kills from Smith, Stumpff and Attaway tied it at 19, but Brevard again had the answer, taking a 22-20 lead on a Cox kill. An Attaway kill, followed by back-to-back Holmquist blocks put the 'Dogs on top 23-22, but a Wingate error made tied it at 23. The bulldogs turned to Stumpff, who slammed home back-to-back kills to end the set.

Wingate used a 5-0 run to take a 10-7 lead in set four, getting a kill and a block from Brewer. A Holmquist kill made it 13-9, but kills from Gharachorloo and Whitney DeMoss got Brevard within two at 15-13. Two Saehler kills helped Wingate stretch the lead to five. A kill from Cox trimmed the lead to four at 20-16, but a Holmquist block and two Brevard errors made it 24-16. Holmquist capped the match with a kill.

Wingate hit .240 on the match, with 61 kills and 24 errors in 154 attacks. Brevard hit .152 with 44 kills and 21 errors in 151 attacks. Smith piled up a match-high five blocks for the Bulldogs, while Adams had Wingate's only two aces.

The Bulldogs are back in action Tuesday, hosting Coker at 7 p.m.