Anderson, S.C.----The 23rd-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs suffered their first league setback of the season Friday night, falling 3-0 at Anderson University in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action. Anderson won by scores of 25-16, 25-8 and 25-14 to improve to 10-9 overall and 7-5 in the SAC. Wingate falls to 19-2 overall and 11-1 in the conference.
Kathryn Hughes hit .556 with 10 kills to lead the Anderson attack, while
Allison Gaminde hit .500 with 10 kills.
Marissa Mitter contributed five kills for the Trojans, while
Emily Conlin had 26 assists, five digs and three kills.
Emily Conrad collected 19 digs.
Junior outside hitter
Katie Bludau (Seabrook, Texas) had nine kills to lead the Wingate attack. Senior
Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) and sophomore
Oakley Attaway (Orlando, Fla.) contributed four kills each, while sophomore
Taylor Williams (Keedysville, Md.) and freshman
Lynnlee Mather (McDonough, Ga.) had three kills apiece. Freshman
Rachel Alles (Tinley Park, Ill.) had 20 assists and 12 digs, while classmate
Treslyn Ortiz (Texas City, Texas) collected 10 digs.
"It is very obvious from looking at the scores and the statistics that Anderson played awesome and we had a very uncharacteristically poor performance," head coach
Shelton Collier says. "They were well-prepared and determined and outplayed us significantly in every aspect of the match. We hope to bounce back tomorrow."
A 6-0 run gave the Trojans a 14-4 edge in the opening set, getting kills from Gaminde and Hughes along with three Wingate errors. Kills from Saehler and Bludau cut the lead to eight, while kills from Mather and Bludau go the 'Dogs within four at 19-15. Two kills from Hughes helped the Trojans stretch the lead back to seven at 23-16. A Wingate error made it 24-16, while a Conlin kill ended the set.
Kills from Gaminde and Hughes gave the Trojans a 13-4 lead in the second set. An Anderson error got Wingate within eight, but a 7-0 run put the Trojans on top 20-5. Conlin and
Serena Jackson each collected a kill in the flurry. A Wingate error made it 24-8, while another Wingate error ended the frame.
A Gaminde kill gave Anderson a 6-2 lead in set three, but kills from Bludau and Alles got Wingate within three. Two errors from the Trojans got the 'Dogs within two at 10-8, but a 6-0 run gave Anderson a 16-8 lead. Gaminde had a pair of kills in the spurt. Kills from Bludau and Attaway got Wingate back within six, but a kill and a block from Hughes helped Anderson take a 22-11 lead. Two more kills from Hughes made it 24-13, while a Jackson kill ended the match.
Anderson hit .395 on the night, with 35 kills and three errors in 81 attacks. It is the highest hitting percentage Wingate has allowed an opponent to hit this year. The Bulldogs hit a season-low .049, with 28 kills and 23 errors in 102 attacks. Wingate did not record a block or an ace on the night, while Anderson had eight blocks and seven aces in the match.
The Bulldogs are back in action Saturday, traveling to Newberry for a 1 p.m. start.
