Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs picked up a pair of sweeps Tuesday evening in Cuddy Arena, defeating UNC Pembroke and Erskine by identical 3-0 scores. Wingate prevailed 25-17, 25-8 and 25-16 against UNCP, while registering a 25-15, 25-19 and 25-19 victory against Erskine. The Bulldogs are now 4-0 on the season, while the Braves fall to 0-6 and the Flying Fleet go to 3-3 overall.

"In both matches today our players really played some high-level volleyball, which was encouraging," head coach Shelton Collier says. "I know we enjoyed our first home matches, it is fun for us to play on ESPN3 and we made some solid progress using a number of lineups today."

Match One: Wingate 3, UNC Pembroke 0

All-American Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) had 11 kills, five digs and two blocks to lead the Wingate attack, hitting .304. Junior outside hitter Katie Bludau (Seabrook, Texas) added nine kills with a .438 hitting percentage, while sophomore Taylor Williams (Keedysville, Md.) contributed six kills with a .556 hitting percentage. Freshman setter Rachel Alles (Tinley Park, Ill.) had 21 assists, five digs, three aces and two kills in two sets of action, while freshman Treslyn Ortiz (Texas City, Texas) collected nine digs.

A block and a kill from Saehler gave Wingate a 9-6 lead, but a Kiera Price kill got the Braves within one at 11-10. An ace from Alles and kill from Bludau, along with a block from freshman middle blocker Lynnlee Mather (McDonough, Ga.) put the 'Dogs back on top by five. A Caroline Pridgen ace trimmed the deficit to two, but back-to-back Saehler kills stretched the advantage back to five. Kills from Oakley Attaway (Orlando, Fla.) and Alles, along with a Saehler ace made it 24-16, while a UNCP error ended the opening frame.

Attaway and Saehler compiled three kills each to help the Bulldogs build a 12-3 lead in set two. Back-to-back Attaway aces pushed the lead to 15-5, while kills from Mather, Saehler and Williams made it 23-7. Another Williams kill made it 24-8, while an ace from Kimberly Hovey (Raleigh, N.C.) ended the set. Wingate hit .500 in the second frame with 13 kills and just one error in 24 attacks.

A pair of aces from Rachel Lods (Lancaster, Calif.) helped Wingate race out to a 4-0 lead in the third frame. A Williams kill helped extend the lead to six at 9-3, while back-to-back Bludau kills made it 14-6. A Williams kill and UNCP error made it 20-10, while a pair of Bludau kills, along with a Tyler Smith (Aiken, S.C.) kill made it 24-14. A Bludau kill ended the frame.

The Bulldogs hit .393 on the match, with 41 kills and eight errors in 84 attacks. UNCP had 20 kills and 12 errors in 84 attacks, hitting .095. Mather and Holmquist led Wingate with two blocks each, while Alles had three of 11 Bulldog aces.

Match Two: Wingate 3, Erskine 0

Attaway had 13 kills to lead the Wingate attack, while Saehler added nine kills and 12 digs. Bludau and Holmquist contributed five kills apiece, with Holmquist hitting .500 on the match. Alles handed out 22 assists to go along with three blocks, while junior Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) piled up 21 digs.

Wingate used a 7-0 run to take a 12-5 lead in the opening set. Smith and Alles had three blocks each in the flurry, while Bludau added a kill. Kills from Saehler and Holmquist, along with a Holmquist ace made it 18-9. A pair of Attaway kills put the 'Dogs on top 21-12, while a Bludau kill made it 24-14. Saehler ended the frame with a kill.

A kill and a block from Mather put Wingate on top 8-7 in set two, but a Kristen Dodge ace tied it at 14. A Bludau kill and Erskine error put the Bulldogs on top by two, while a Saehler kill made it 20-17. Kills from Saehler and Attaway made it 22-18. A Sami Harting kill got the Flying Fleet within three, but kills from Attaway and Saehler made it 24-19. An ace from Adams ended the set.

Two Attaway kills and a Holmquist block gave the Bulldogs an 11-6 lead in set three, but a 6-0 Erskine run gave the Flying Fleet a 12-11 lead on a Harting kill. Kills from Holmquist and Attaway put Wingate back on top, but a Payton Duncan ace tied the frame at 16. A Holmquist kill put the Bulldogs back on top, while back-to-back blocks from Smith and Williams made it 20-16. A Harting ace got Erskine back within two, but kills from Williams and Smith made it 24-19. An Erskine error ended the match.

Wingate hit .284 on the night, with 43 kills and 12 errors in 109 attacks. Erskine had 27 kills and 22 errors in 115 attacks, hitting .043. Smith piled up a match-high five blocks for the Bulldogs, while Mather and Alles added three blocks each.

The Bulldogs are back in action this weekend, traveling to Florida for the Flagler Tournament. Wingate faces Limestone and Armstrong State Friday, while taking on Kind and Flagler Saturday.