Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs opened the 2018 season with a pair of victories Tuesday afternoon, taking down Winston-Salem State and Belmont Abbey in NCAA Division II volleyball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won 3-0 (25-22, 25-14 and 25-12) in the opener against WSSU, while prevailing 3-1 (29-31, 25-11, 25-17 and 25-12) against the Crusaders in the night cap. Wingate begins the season 2-0 overall.

"In our opening night we definitely had some positive things," head coach Shelton Collier says. "We had an awesome crowd, opened our season on ESPN3 and had some good individual performances. At times we played really well and at times we showed we have some work to do. I know our players enjoyed playing in such a fun environment."




Match One: Wingate 3, Winston-Salem State 0

Senior middle blocker Phoebe Havenaar (Naperville, Ill.) hit .714 with 11 kills in 14 swings to lead the Wingate offense. Classmate Anna Holmquist (Lincoln, Neb.) hit .444 with nine kills and two blocks, while junior Rachel Alles (Tinley Park, Ill.) compiled nine kills, 20 assists and seven digs. Senior outside hitter Hannah Givens (Greensburg, Ky.) collected six kills in two sets, while freshman Molly Lambillotte (Geneva, Ill.) contributed six kills, seven digs and two aces. Classmate Reese Blackley (Winston, Ga.) added five kills, while senior Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) collected 10 digs in two sets. Freshman Shannon Kasprak (Austin, Texas) handed out 27 assists to go along with seven digs.

A kill from Ytae Cobb gave the Rams a 15-12 lead in set one, but kills from Havenaar and Givens got the 'Dogs within a point. A Miranda Taylor kill pushed the advantage back to four at 19-15, but kills from Givens, Alles and Lambillotte made it a one-point game at 19-18. Danyale Berry put WSSU on top 20-18 with a kill, but Wingate countered with a 6-0 run. Lambillotte started it with back-to-back kills, while an Alles kill and Adams ace put the 'Dogs on top 22-20. A Havenaar kill made it 24-20, while another Lambillotte kill ended the set.

Kills from Givens and Havenaar gave Wingate a 10-7 lead in set two, while Havenaar, Blackley and Adams contributed kills in a 4-0 run that made it 14-8. Kills from Holmquist and Alles, followed by a Lambillotte ace made it 20-12, while kills from Havenaar and Givens put the 'Dogs on top 24-14. Sophomore Anne Abernathy (Knoxville, Tenn.) capped the frame with a kill.

Back-to-back Blackley kills gave the 'Dogs a 7-1 lead in the third set, while a Holmquist kill and Kasprak ace made it 14-5. A kill and an ace from Lambillotte pushed the lead to 10, while back-to-back Alles kills made it 21-9. Kills from Abernathy and Lambillotte gave Wingate a 24-12 lead, while an ace from senior Kim Hovey (Raleigh, N.C.) ended the match.

Wingate hit .379 for the match, with 50 kills and 14 errors in 95 attacks. WSSU had 21 kills and 11 errors in 83 attacks, hitting .120 on the day. Lambillotte, Adams and Kasprak led the Bulldogs with two aces each, with Alles and Holmquist leading the way with two blocks apiece.

Match Two: Wingate 3, Belmont Abbey 1

Holmquist hit .722 with 13 kills in 18 swings, adding six blocks to lead the Bulldogs in the night cap. Havenaar piled up 11 kills and nine blocks, hitting .500 while Givens contributed 10 kills, four digs, two blocks and an ace. Alles had 39 assists, 14 digs and four kills, while Adams collected 17 digs.

The first set saw Belmont Abbey race out to a 10-0 lead, but a Givens ace and Abernathy kill got the 'Dogs within five at 15-10. Kills from Holmquist and Taylor Williams (Keedysville, Md.) got Wingate within a point, while a kill and an ace from Holmquist put the Bulldogs on top 21-20. A Givens kill made it 23-21, but a Hailey Ryan kill and ace gave the Crusaders a 24-23 advantage. Wingate staved off four consecutive set points, then took a 28-27 lead on a kill and ace from Holmquist, but a kill and a block from Victoria Sisco gave Belmont Abbey a 29-28 lead. Another Sisco kill made it 30-29, while a Wingate error ended the opening frame.

Five kills and two blocks from Havenaar helped the Bulldogs race out to an 11-2 lead in set two, with Givens adding a pair of kills in the flurry. Kills from Williams and Holmquist, followed by a Givens block pushed the lead to 11, while an Alles kill, Havenaar block and Williams kill made it 24-11. Havenaar and Abernathy teamed for a block to give the 'Dogs the set.

Two Alles aces and a Givens kill sparked a 4-0 run that gave Wingate a 12-9 lead in set three. A Cassidy Bonito kill tied it at 12, but a Havenaar kill made it 16-14. Andie Meredith answered with a kill to get the Crusaders back within one, but Wingate scored the next eight points. Havenaar had two kills in the spurt, with kills from Givens and Alles capping the flurry to make it 24-15. Givens capped the frame with a kill to give Wingate a 2-1 lead in the match.

Back-to-back Holmquist kills gave Wingate an 8-4 lead in the fourth set, while kills from Williams and Adams pushed the lead to seven at 13-6. The Bulldogs added a 5-0 run, getting a kill and a block from Lambillotte along with two aces from Adams to take a 19-8 advantage. A Lambillotte kill, followed by a pair of Holmquist kills made it 24-12, while a kill from Hanna Knaley (Florence, Ky.) ended the match.

Wingate hit .283 in the match, with 54 kills and 18 errors in 127 attacks. Belmont Abbey had 34 kills and 35 errors in 133 attacks, hitting -.008. Adams led the Bulldogs with three aces, while Havenaar's nine blocks were a match high, followed by Holmquist's six.

The Bulldogs are back in action this weekend, playing three matches at the Queens Invitational. Wingate faces Winston-Salem State and Converse Friday, then takes on Augusta Saturday in Charlotte.