Harrogate, Tenn.----Wingate University senior outside hitter
Katie Bludau (Seabrook, Texas) wrapped up an impressive final regular season in style, piling up 17 kills while hitting .593 to lead the visiting Bulldogs to a 3-0 victory at Lincoln Memorial University in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action Saturday afternoon. Wingate won by scores of 25-20, 25-16 and 25-19 to improve to 24-2 overall and 18-2 in the SAC. LMU falls to 13-15 overall and 8-12 in league play.
Bludau needed just 27 swings to collect her match-high 17 kills, committing just one error on the day, while adding four digs, two blocks and two aces. She finishes the regular season as the only player in NCAA Division II with at least 4.2 kills per set with a hitting percentage over .300. Sophomore middle blocker
Phoebe Havenaar (Naperville, Ill.) added 10 kills with a .389 hitting percentage, while senior outside hitter
Rachael Cecka (Plymouth, Wisc.) had nine kills, three digs and three blocks. Freshman right-side hitter
Anne Abernathy (Knoxville, Tenn.) collected seven kills, while junior middle blocker
Anna Holmquist (Lincoln, Nebr.) hit .417 with six kills. Sophomore setter
Rachel Alles (Tinley Park, Ill.) handed out 40 assists to go along with four digs, three kills and two blocks, while junior libero
Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) picked up 10 digs, three assists and two aces.
"It was important to close out the regular season with a good win on the road today," head coach
Shelton Collier says. "Katie Bludau has had a very special season for sure and once again had an awesome performance today. We realize that one of the story lines is that by finishing second this year it broke an 11-year streak of regular season championships for Wingate, so we are now turning our attention to being very prepared for the conference tournament next week."
Lindsey Nartker and
Alicia Kessler had six kills apiece to lead the LMU offense.
Kiera Holland added five kills, while
Rylee Storms and
Tone Gill chipped in with four kills each.
Olivia Brock handed out 11 assists, while
Erica Whiteaker had 10 digs.
Two early Bludau kills helped Wingate jump out to a 6-2 lead in the opening set, but a Nartker kill and Brock ace tied the set 9-9. A Nartker ace gave LMU a 12-10 lead, but kills from Bludau and Havenaar put the 'Dogs on top by one. A Kessler kill gave the Railsplitters a 17-15 advantage, but kills from Cecka and Abernathy tied it at 18. Blocks from Holmquist and Cecka, along with a
Hannah Givens (Greensburg, Ky.) ace capped a 4-0 run to make it 21-18, but a Kessler kill trimmed the deficit to two. The Bulldogs scored the final three points of the frame, with an Alles kill and Adams ace making it 24-19 and a Bludau kill ending it.
Four Bludau kills gave the 'Dogs an early 4-1 lead in set two, but a Wingate error got the Railsplitters within one at 6-5. A kill and a block from Cecka pushed the lead back to four, but a kill from
Danielle Ged made it 11-9. A Bludau kill, followed by a block and a kill from Havenaar put the 'Dogs on top 14-9, while kills from Bludau and Havenaar extended the advantage to seven at 17-10. A kill and a block from Cecka made it 22-14, while a kill and a block from Holmquist put the Bulldogs on top 24-16. An ace from
Hanna Knaley (Florence, Ky.) ended the set. Wingate hit .459 in the frame, with 19 kills and just two errors.
A 7-0 run gave Wingate a 7-2 lead in set three, with Bludau collecting two aces to go along with a pair of Havenaar kills. A Kessler kill got LMU within two at 11-9, but an Alles kill and Adams ace made it 13-9. A pair of Bludau kills gave Wingate a 16-10 lead, but a kill and two blocks from Gill got LMU within a point at 18-17. A Pair of Cecka kills made it 20-18, while a kill and a block from Bludau pushed the advantage to four. Holmquist made it 24-18 with a kill, while another Bludau kill ended the match.
Wingate hit .327 on the day, with 52 kills and 16 errors in 110 attacks. Lincoln Memorial had 28 kills and 13 errors in 84 attacks, hitting .179. Holmquist led all players with five blocks, while Bludau and Adams had two aces apiece.
The Bulldogs are the number two seed in this week's SAC Tournament. Wingate will host a quarterfinal match Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in Cuddy Arena.
