Wingate, N.C.----The 24th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs overcame a sluggish start Saturday afternoon, prevailing 3-1 against visiting Mars Hill University in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 27-25, 15-25, 25-15 and 25-18 to move to 20-2 overall and 14-2 in the SAC. Mars Hill falls to 7-15 overall and 5-10 in league play.

Junior middle blocker Anna Holmquist (Lincoln, Nebr.) had 13 kills, three digs and three blocks to lead the Wingate attack, hitting .500 on the match. Sophomore middle blocker Lynnlee Mather (McDonough, Ga.) hit .500 with 11 kills in three sets of action, while senior outside hitter Katie Bludau (Seabrook, Texas) contributed nine kills, five digs, three blocks and an ace. Sophomore setter Rachel Alles (Tinley Park, Ill.) piled up 38 assists, 17 digs and seven kills, while junior libero Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) collected 23 digs.

"We certainly have some strong mixed emotions after this win," head coach Shelton Collier says. "We at times played very well and at times we played far below our normal level of play. We need to keep winning and we need to keep elevating our level of play at every position, so we will look forward to two more matches next week."

Lauren Hochstetler had 11 kills and 14 digs to lead the Mars Hill offense. Rebecca Butler hit .348 with nine kills, while Elizabeth Kaeser added nine kills and 17 digs. Sarah Pasour handed out 20 assists, while Abby King added 19 assists.

The first set featured 10 ties and three lead changes. Kills from Kaeser and Hochstetler gave Mars Hill a 13-8 advantage, but kills from Bludau and Mather, along with an Adams ace got Wingate within a point. A Sally Anne Johnson kill pushed the MHU lead back to three, but two kills and a block from Bludau tied it at 17. Butler's kill put the Lions back on top by three, but a kill and a block from Holmquist tied it at 20. Maddie Spurgeon's kill gave Mars Hill a 23-21 advantage, but back-to-back Holmquist kills gave the 'Dogs a 24-23 lead. Hochstetler tied it at 25 with a kill, but another Mather kill put Wingate back on top by one. A Mars Hill error ended the set.

Five Wingate errors helped Mars Hill race out to a 10-4 lead in the second set, but a Holmquist kill and three MHU errors got the 'Dogs within two at 11-9. Five consecutive Bulldog errors made it 17-10, while a Butler block highlighted a 5-0 run that made it 23-13. Hochstetler finished the frame with a kill.

A kill from Racheal Cecka (Plymouth, Wisc.) and Bludau block gave the Bulldogs a 10-6 lead in set three, but back-to-back Johnson kills got the Lions within a point. Back-to-back Havenaar kills made it 13-10, but a Kaeser kill helped get Mars Hill back within one. Wingate scored eight of the next 10 points to take a 21-14 lead, with Cecka and Holmquist each contributing a kill and a block in the flurry. A Havenaar kill and Adams ace made it 25-15, while another Havenaar kill ended the set. Wingate hit .452 in the third frame, with 16 kills and two errors in 31 swings.

Kills from Holmquist and Cecka gave the Bulldogs an 11-6 lead in the fourth set, but a Kaeser kill helped Mars Hill get within one at 12-11. Wingate scored the next seven points, getting four Alles kills to take a 19-11 lead. Kills from Mather and Holmquist made it 24-18, while an ace from Dunja Sobot (Backa Palanka, Serbia) ended the match.

The Bulldogs hit .177 on the day, with 57 kills and 28 errors in 164 attacks. Mars Hill had 43 kills and 18 errors in 153 attacks, hitting .163. Adams had three of Wingate's five aces, while Holmquist led the way with her three blocks.

The Bulldogs are back in action Thursday, hosting Lenoir-Rhyne at 7 p.m.