Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs picked up two more non-conference victories Tuesday night, downing Barton College 3-1 and Francis Marion University 3-0 in NCAA Division II volleyball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won the opener 25-23, 25-12, 20-25 and 25-11 over Barton, while downing FMU 25-21, 25-17 and 25-17 to move to 7-0 on the season.

"It was great to play two matches today and be able to play so many different lineup combinations," head coach Shelton Collier says. "As we head into the grind of three matches per week in conference play, we know we will need to share the workload, so it was great to have a number of players step up in important roles today. We are looking forward to conference play starting this weekend."
 
Match One | Wingate 3, Barton 1

In her first match of the season, sophomore Sophie Schaff registered a career-high 11 kills to lead the Wingate offense, hitting .360 while adding three blocks. Senior middle blocker Phoebe Havenaar also had 11 kills while adding six digs and four blocks, while All-American Anna Holmquist hit .500 with seven kills and four blocks in three sets of action. Senior outside hitter Hannah Givens collected seven kills, three blocks, three digs and three aces, while Rachel Alles compiled 36 assists, eight digs, four kills and three blocks. Kori Adams collected 18 digs to go along with four assists and an ace.

Kills from Alles and Givens gave Wingate a 12-9 lead in set one, but a Kelsey Riquelme block tied it at 12, then back-to-back Riquelme kills gave Barton a 15-13 lead. A Holmquist kill tied it at 15, but a Kaytlin Elkins kill helped Barton push the lead to three at 19-16. A kill from Allie Cullens put the visitors on top 23-19, but Wingate scored the final six points of the frame. A Givens ace and Havenaar kill tied it at 23, while back-to-back Barton errors ended the set.

Two Holmquist kills and a Givens kill gave the 'Dogs a 12-5 second set lead. Three straight Elkins kills got Barton within four, but a Havenaar kill pushed the lead back to seven. Wingate added a 6-0 run, getting a kill and an ace from Givens along with kills from Schaff and Taylor Williams to make it 21-11. Kills from Havenaar and Holmquist put Wingate on top 24-12, with a block from Holmquist and Williams ending the frame.

A kill from Santana Mestas gave Barton a 14-13 lead in the third, but a Schaff kill tied it. An Elkins kill, followed by back-to-back Camryn Frederick kills gave the guests a 19-16 advantage. An Alles kill, followed by a kill and a block from Lynnlee Mather got Wingate within one, but back-to-back Mestas blocks put Barton on to 24-20. An ace from Ashley Owens ended the third frame.

Kills from Havenaar and Reese Blackley, along with a Holmquist block gave Wingate an early 9-4 lead in the fourth set. Wingate added a 9-0 run, getting three kills and a block from Havenaar to take an 18-5 advantage. Havenaar added a kill and a block to a 4-0 run that made it 22-6, while two Barton errors made it 24-9. A Schaff kill ended the match.

Wingate hit .221 on the afternoon, with 50 kills and 19 errors in 140 attacks. Barton had 35 kills and 27 errors in 144 attacks, hitting .056. Givens had two of the four aces for Wingate, while Havenaar and Holmquist led the way with four blocks each.

Match Two | Wingate 3, Francis Marion 0

Holmquist had eight kills, three blocks, three digs and three aces to lead the Wingate offense, hitting .375 in two sets of action. Givens and Mather added seven kills each, with Mather hitting .538, while Havenar contributed six kills. Schaff chipped in with five kills, while Blackley had four kills in one set of action. Alles handed out 34 assists while adding 11 digs, four blocks, two kills and ace, while Adams piled up 22 digs and five assists.

Kills from Alles and Williams to go along with a Holmquist ace gave Wingate a 9-5 lead in the opening set. A Georgia Garrison kill and Madison Taylor ace gave FMU a 12-11 advantage, but a Holmquist block put the 'Dogs on top 14-13. Francis Marion regained the lead on a Wingate error, but a Givens kill capped a 3-0 run to give the Bulldogs a 17-15 lead. A Courtney Abdur-Rahim kill got the Patriots within one, but the 'Dogs scored the next four points, getting kills from Holmquist, Givens and Havenaar to take a 21-16 advantage. A Givens kill and FMU error made it 24-20, while a Holmquist kill ended the frame.

A Mather block and Givens kill gave Wingate a 13-10 lead in set two, but Abdur-Rahim cut the lead to two with a kill. Back-to-back Blackley kills highlighted a 4-0 run that gave Wingate a 19-12 lead, while a kill and a block from Holmquist, along with another Blackley kill made it 23-14. Blackley added another kill to make it 24-17, while a Francis Marion error capped the set.

A Garrison kill gave the Patriots an 11-9 lead in set three, but back-to-back Mather kills put the 'Dogs back on top. Wingate added a 5-0 run, getting a pair of Molly Lambillotte kills to take a 17-12 lead. Abdur-Rahim's kill got FMU back within two at 17-15, but Havenaar and Lambillotte each had a kill and a block in a 4-0 spurt that put the 'Dogs on top 21-15. A Havenaar kill and a block, along with Shannon Kasprak ace made it 24-16. Havenaar ended the match with a kill.

Wingate hit .250 on the night, with 43 kills and 15 errors in 112 attacks. FMU had 27 kills and 19 errors in 113 attacks, hitting .071. Holmquist had three of Wingate's five aces, while Alles led the 'Dogs with four blocks.

The Bulldogs are back in action Friday, opening SAC play at Queens at 7 p.m.