Wingate, N.C.----The 23rd-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs picked up two victories Tuesday afternoon in NCAA Division II volleyball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate opened the day by winning 3-0 over UNC Pembroke, while adding a 3-1 victory over Erskine Tuesday night. The 'Dogs prevailed over the Braves 25-16, 25-18 and 25-15, while downing Erskine 25-9, 25-18, 23-25 and 25-19 to improve to 5-1 on the season.

"This was a great day for us in so many ways," head coach Shelton Collier says. "We had many of our players make notable progress with significant playing time. We were able to use several lineup combinations that we will need in our conference play starting this weekend. I was proud of our progress today in many areas."

#23 Wingate 3, UNC Pembroke 0

All-American middle blocker Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) had 11 kills to lead the Wingate attack in the opening match of the day, while freshman Anna Holmquist (Lincoln, Nebr.) hit .750 with nine kills. Senior right-side hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) contributed eight kills and six digs, hitting .381, while freshman outside hitter Oakley Attaway (Belle Isle, Fla.) added seven kills and seven digs. Senior setter Iris Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio) piled up 34 assists and nine digs, while freshman Kimberly Hovey (Raleigh, N.C.) collected 17 digs.

A kill and a block from Saehler gave the 'Dogs an early 9-4 lead in set one. A kill from Caroline Pridgen trimmed the lead to three at 10-7, but Stumpff and Holmquist answered with two kills each in a 4-0 run to give Wingate a 14-7 edge. Stumpff and freshman Taylor Williams (Keedysville, Md.) added kills to make it 20-12, while a Saehler kill pushed the advantage to 22-14. Kills from Brewer and sophomore Skylar Ricard (Greensboro, N.C.) made it 24-16, while an Attaway kill capped the frame.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 7-0 lead in set two, getting two kills and a block from freshman Phoebe Havenaar (Naperville, Ill.). Another kill and a block from Havenaar, along with a Stumpff kill made it 10-2. A Jada Vernon kill got UNCP within three at 12-9, but kills from Attaway and Stumpff, along with an Attaway ace made it 18-12. Two Saehler kills, along with a Brewer kill and Stumpff ace put Wingate on top 22-13. An Attaway kill made it 24-18, while another Havenaar kill finished the set.

The Bulldogs used a 9-0 run to take a 12-3 lead in the third frame. Freshman outside hitter Hannah Givens (Greensburg, Ky.) had two kills in the flurry, while junior middle blocker Tyler Smith (Aiken, S.C.) added two kills and a block. A Pridgen kill capped an 8-1 UNCP run to get the Braves within two at 13-11, but the Bulldogs answered with a 7-1 run. Attaway and Holmquist contributed two kills apiece in the spurt. Kills from Holmquist and Givens, followed by a block from the duo made it 24-13. Givens ended the match with a kill.

Wingate hit .298 for the match, with 53 kills and 17 errors in 121 attacks. UNCP had 21 kills and 15 errors in 103 attacks, hitting .058. The Bulldogs hit .385 in the first set and .375 in the final frame.

#23 Wingate 3, Erskine 1

Saehler had 11 kills and 11 digs to lead the Wingate attack, hitting .391. Stumpff had 11 kills and 15 digs, while sophomore outside hitter Katie Bludau (Seabrook, Texas) also contributed 11 kills in three sets of action, playing in her first match of the year. Smith added nine kills and four blocks, hitting .400 while sophomore Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) registered 31 assists and 13 digs, splitting time as a setter and defensive specialist. Hovey piled up 20 digs, while Brewer had 11 assists and eight digs.

Kills from Smith and Stumpff, along with a Rachel Truslow (Matthews, N.C.) ace gave the 'Dogs a 10-3 lead in the opening set. Wingate added a 5-0 run, getting two Bludau kills along with a kill and an ace from Attaway to go on top 16-5. Two more Bludau kills, along with two Smith blocks made it 22-7. A Bludau kill and Erskine error made it 24-7, while Attaway capped the opening set with a kill. The Bulldogs hit .536 in set one, with 16 kills and one error in 28 attacks.

Two Saehler kills, along with a Smith kill put the Bulldogs on top 11-9 in the second set. A kill from Catherine McAlister, followed by a Kelly Sullivan block put the Flying Fleet on top 15-14. A Saehler kill and Erskine error put the 'Dogs back in front, but a kill from Sami Harting tied the set at 17. Wingate responded with a 4-0 run, getting kills from Smith and Bludau to take a 21-17 lead. Kills from Smith and Bludau made it 24-18, while an ace from Adams capped the second frame.

Erskine used a 7-0 run to take a 9-6 lead in the third set, getting two Sullivan kills. Back-to-back aces from McAlister gave the Flying Fleet a 13-8 advantage. An Attaway ace helped Wingate cut the deficit to one at 16-15, but another McAlister block put Erskine on top 20-16. The Bulldogs got back within two at 22-20 on three straight Erskine errors, but a Harting kill made it 24-21. An Erskine error and Holmquist kill cut the lead to one at 24-23, but a Sullivan kill ended the third set.

A Smith block and Saehler ace gave the Bulldogs a 12-7 lead in the fourth set. A McAlister kill cut the lead to two at 13-11. Back-to-back Stumpff kills, along with an ace from Adams made it 17-12. A Saehler kill and Smith block put the 'Dogs on top 22-16. Smith added two more kills to make it 24-19, while a Saehler kill ended the match.

Wingate hit .238 for the match, with 52 kills and 17 errors in 147 attacks. Erskine hit .125 with 41 kills and 21 errors in 160 attacks. Attaway had five of Wingate's 10 aces on the night, while Smith's four blocks were a match high.

The Bulldogs are back in action Friday, opening conference play against Tusculum at 7 p.m.