Wingate, N.C.----The 24th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs snapped a brief two-match losing streak Friday night, downing visiting Tusculum College 3-0 in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-22, 25-21 and 26-24 to move to 19-2 overall and 13-2 in the SAC. The Pioneers fall to 14-11 overall and 9-6 in league play.

Junior middle blocker Anna Holmquist (Lincoln, Nebr.) tied a career high with 14 kills, hitting .500 while adding four blocks to lead the Wingate offense. Senior outside hitter Katie Bludau (Seabrook, Texas) hit .343 with 13 kills, while sophomore middle blocker Phoebe Havenaar (Naperville, Ill.) contributed 12 kills and four blocks with a .450 hitting percentage. Senior Rachael Cecka (Plymouth, Wisc.) chipped in with six kills, three digs and two blocks, while junior libero Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) picked up 13 digs. Sophomore setter Rachel Alles (Tinley Park, Ill.) piled up 45 assists, eight digs, two kills and two blocks, while junior Kimberly Hovey (Raleigh, N.C.) added 10 digs.

"This was a good, hard-fought much needed win for us tonight," head coach Shelton Collier says. "We needed to get back to winning close sets and we did that tonight. It was motivating for our players to play in our Twisted Pink match, honoring Hannah Givens and her family, plus, it was an important win for us with a number of players playing well for us."

Cassie Born had 13 kills, 13 digs and four blocks to lead the Tusculum offense. Sabrina Schleuger added 10 kills and four digs, while Laryssa Welch contributed eight kills. Shannon Murphy handed out 38 assists, while Mellissa Mazur collected 13 digs.

Kills from Bludau and Havenaar gave Wingate a 14-11 lead in the opening frame, while kills from Havenaar and Cecka stretched the advantage to four at 17-13. A Schleuger kill and Born block got the Pioneers within a point, but kills from Holmquist and Cecka put the 'Dogs on top 19-16. Tusculum scored the next four points, taking a 20-19 lead on a Murphy kill after three consecutive kills from Born. A Wingate error gave the Pioneers a 22-20 lead, but the Bulldogs responded by scoring the last five points of the set. Kills from Holmquist and Bludau tied it at 22, while a kill from Havenaar made it 24-22. A block from Havenaar and Alles ended the opening frame.

A kill and a block from Havenaar gave Wingate a 12-10 lead in set two, while another Havenaar kill made it 16-13. Kills from Welch and Born tied it at 16, but a Holmquist kill and Havenaar block put the 'Dogs on top 20-18. A pair of Bludau kills made it 22-20, but an error got TC back within a point. Kills from Cecka and freshman Anne Abernathy (Knoxville, Tenn.) made it 24-21, while a Tusculum error ended the set. Wingate had 18 kills and three errors in the second frame, hitting .429.

A Schleuger kill and Mazur ace gave the Pioneers a 14-11 advantage in the third set, but kills from Bludau and Havenaar, along with a Holmquist block tied it at 15. A Bludau kill and Tusculum error gave the Bulldogs a 20-18 lead, while kills from Alles and Havenaar made it 22-19. A Mazur ace and Wingate error got TC within one, while another Bulldog error tied it at 23. A block from Welch put Tusculum on top 24-23, but a Havenaar kill evened the frame at 24. A Tusculum error gave Wingate the lead, while a kill from Oakley Attaway (Orlando, Fla.) ended the match.

The Bulldogs hit .336 on the night, with 52 kills and 13 errors in 116 attacks. Tusculum had 43 kills and 19 errors in 120 attacks, hitting .200. Alles had the lone ace of the evening for Wingate, while Holmquist and Havenaar led the way with four blocks apiece.

Wingate is back in action Saturday, hosting Mars Hill at 2 p.m.