Box Score Salisbury, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs played their first five-set match of the season Tuesday night, prevailing 3-2 at Catawba College in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action. Wingate won by scores of 25-23, 24-26, 25-14, 22-25 and 15-8 to improve to 9-0 overall and 2-0 in the SAC. Catawba falls to 4-8 overall and 0-1 in league play.

Senior outside hitter Taylor Williams had a career-high 18 kills to lead the Wingate offense, hitting .343 on the night. Senior middle blocker Phoebe Havenaar hit .400 with 17 kills, while classmate Hannah Givens added a career-high 13 kills to go along with seven digs. All-American Anna Holmquist contributed 10 kills and four blocks, while junior setter Rachel Alles piled up 58 assists, 17 digs, two blocks and a kill. Senior libero Kori Adams collected 18 digs on for the match, while Treslyn Ortiz added 10 digs.

"We really had to fight hard to come out with a win tonight," head coach Shelton Collier says. "Catawba played by far the toughest non-conference schedule of any team in our league and showed tonight in their ability to play at a much higher level than us for many points in the match. We learned a lot as a team tonight and fortunately were able to do it while winning a tough five-set match."

Micah Ensor and Jade Brooks had 12 kills each to lead the Catawba offense. Allie Grubb and Kylie Morgan added nine kills apiece, while Kimberly Hurtado contributed seven kills. Morgan Hester handed out 49 assists while Allison Benton collected 25 digs.

A Williams kill gave the Bulldogs a 7-5 lead in set one, but kills from Grubb and Ensor gave the Indians a 12-8 advantage. Kills from Givens and Havenaar tied it at 13, while a Williams kill put the 'Dogs on top by one. Grubb tied it at 19 with a kill, but Wingate scored the next four points, getting a pair of Givens kills to take a 23-19 lead. Another Givens kill made it 24-20, while a kill from Adams ended the frame.

Kills from Givens and Williams sparked a 4-0 run that gave Wingate a 7-5 lead in the second set, while kills from Williams and Havenaar made it 10-6. A Morgan ace got Catawba within two, but kills from Holmquist and Williams extended the lead back to four. A Williams kill made it 20-16, while another Williams kill and Eastland ace made it 23-19. Three Wingate errors and a Hester ace tied it at 23, while a Brooks kill put Catawba on top 24-23. Alles tied it with a kill, but back-to-back Grubb kills gave Catawba the set.

Back-to-back Havenaar kills highlighted a 4-0 Wingate run which included kills from Holmquist and Givens to put Wingate on top 11-8 in set three. Kills from Havenaar and Sophie Schaff made it 15-10, while a Schaff kill and Holmquist block put the 'Dogs on top 19-12. A Holmquist kill and Ortiz ace pushed the lead to 22-13, while a Williams kill made it 24-14. An ace from Molly Lambillotte finished the set to give the 'Dogs a 2-1 lead.

Kills from Brooks and Grubbs gave Catawba an 11-8 lead, but an ace and a kill from Givens made it 13-12. Catawba scored six of the next seven points, taking a 19-13 lead on a Grubb ace. The Bulldogs scored the next five points, getting three Williams kills to cut the lead to one at 19-18. A Morgan kill put the Indians on top 23-19, but kills from Givens and Havenaar made it 23-22. Hurtado made it 24-22 with a kill, while a Grubb block sent it to a fifth set.

Wingate jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the fifth set, getting two kills and a block from Havenaar. A kill and a block from Schaff made it 8-2, but an Ensor kill helped Catawba get within three at 8-5. A Holmquist block gave the 'Dogs an 11-6 lead, while a Williams kill and Holmquist block made it 13-7. A kill from Williams made it 14-8, while a Holmquist kill ended the match.

Wingate hit .215 on the night, with 65 kills and 23 errors in 195 attacks. Catawba had 52 kills and 28 errors in 177 attacks, hitting .136 for the match. Ortiz had three of Wingate's seven aces, while Holmquist led the Bulldogs with four blocks.

Wingate is scheduled to return to action this weekend, hosting matches against Lenoir-Rhyne and Mars Hill. The contests are scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m., but may change due to the Hurricane Florence. To stay up-to-date on schedule changes, go to wingatebulldogs.com and follow @WU_Bulldogs on Twitter.