Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University seniors Tyler Smith (Aiken, S.C.) and Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) combined to hit .657 with 26 kills Friday night, leading the Bulldogs to a 3-0 victory over Lincoln Memorial University in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-18, 25-17 and 25-20 to improve to 13-0 overall and 5-0 in the SAC. The Railsplitters see their eight-match winning streak come to an end, falling to 8-2 overall and 5-1 in the conference. The Bulldogs are now 21-0 all-time against LMU.

Saehler had a match-high 14 kills, adding eight digs while hitting .524. Smith had 12 kills in just 14 swings without committing an error, hitting .857 which ranks second in league history for hitting percentage with at least 14 attacks. Sophomore outside hitter Oakley Attaway (Orlando, Fla.) contributed seven kills, while junior outside hitter Katie Bludau (Seabrook, Texas) hit .304 with six kills, six digs and three aces. Freshman setter Rachel Alles (Tinley Park, Ill.) handed out 37 assists, while classmate Treslyn Ortiz (Texas City, Texas) collected nine digs.

"LMU has without question some of the most talented and experienced players in the conference, plus they have some of the strongest depth in the league, so we appreciate that this was a very big win tonight," head coach Shelton Collier says. "It took a great effort and performance by our veteran players and our younger players, and we were award the match was for first place, so we are very happy that we played so well."

Kiera Holland had 11 kills to lead the LMU attack. Tone Gill added six kills, while three different Railsplitters contributed three kills apiece. Abby Cash handed out 21 assists, while Erica Whiteaker had 12 digs.

Wingate raced out to a 7-1 lead in the opening set, getting four early kills from Saehler. A kill and a block from Gill got LMU within two at 13-11, but kills from Smith and Saehler stretched the lead back to six. The Bulldogs added a 6-0 run to take a 23-12 advantage. Attaway had three kills in the flurry, while Smith also had a pair of kills. A Lincoln Memorial error made it 24-15, while a Smith kill ended the set. Wingate hit .424 in the opening frame, with 17 kills and just three errors in 33 attacks.

The Bulldogs used a 7-0 run to take an 8-2 lead in set two. Attaway had a kill and a block in the spurt, while Saehler added a kill. Back-to-back Holland kills cut the lead to two, but a Smith kill and Attaway ace made it 11-7. Kills from Saehler and Attaway, followed by back-to-back Bludau aces made it 18-10. A pair of kills from Taylor Williams (Keedysville, Md.) made it 23-15, while a Lincoln Memorial error made it 24-16. Bludau ended the frame with a kill.

LMU jumped out to a 6-3 lead in set three, but kills from Alles and Lynnlee Mather (McDonough, Ga.) gave Wingate an 11-10 advantage. A Smith kill, followed by back-to-back Bludau kills made it 17-14, while kill from Bludau, Mather and Saehler gave the 'Dogs a 20-15 edge. A pair of Gill kills got LMU within two at 20-18, but a kill and an ace from Hannah Givens (Greensburg, Ky.) pushed the advantage to four. LMU got back to within two thanks to another Gill kill, but back-to-back Saehler kills made it 24-20. Wingate claimed the match on a Lincoln Memorial error. The Bulldogs had 17 more kills in the final frame, hitting .371.

Wingate hit .346 for the match, with 49 kills and 13 errors in 104 attacks. LMU had 27 kills and 12 errors in 81 attacks, hitting .185. Mather led the Bulldogs with two blocks, while Bludau had three of Wingate's nine aces.

Wingate is back in action Saturday, hosting Carson-Newman at 5:30 p.m.