Anderson, S.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs picked up a key conference road victory Friday night, winning a five-set thriller at Anderson University in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action. Wingate won by scores of 25-19, 25-19, 19-25, 10-25 and 15-9 to move to 23-1 overall and 16-1 in the SAC. The Trojans fall to 18-4 overall and 14-3 in league play.

THOUGHTS FROM TRESLYN ORTIZ

"It was such an energetic atmosphere! Every points was hard fought. I'm so proud of how our team was able to grind through the five-set match, we couldn't be more excited for this win!"

NOTES

- The victory gives Wingate a two-game lead over Anderson in the SAC standings
- The 'Dogs sweep the season series against AU
- The Bulldogs improve to 26-4 against the Trojans and 6-3 at Anderson
- Snaps a three-match losing streak at Anderson; first win since 2015
- The 57 kills are the second-most for Wingate this season
- First five-set match for the Bulldogs since a 3-2 win at Mars Hill (Oct. 23, 2018)
- The 'Dogs have only gone to five sets five times since 2017, winning all five matches
- The Bulldogs move to 400-36 overall since the start of the 2007 season
- The 'Dogs are 232-13 in league play since 2007
- WU leads the nation in opponents' hitting percentage and ranks second in blocks

KEY STATS

- Wingate hit .146 with 57 kills and 31 errors
- Anderson had 46 kills and 15 errors to hit .209
- Each team had nine blocks on the night
- The Bulldogs had 83 digs; the Trojans collected 78
- WU registered 11 of the 16 aces in the match

KEY BULLDOGS

- Sophie Schaff had 14 kills and four blocks to lead the offense
- Lynnlee Mather added 11 kills and a pair of blocks
- Molly Lambillotte contributed 10 kills, 11 digs and three aces
- Rachel Alles piled up six kills, nine digs, 29 assists and a block
- Anne Abernathy added six kills and three blocks
- Reese Blackley and Emma Ahrens contributed four kills apiece
- Shannon Kasprak handed out 23 assists while adding 10 digs
- Treslyn Ortiz picked up a season-high 33 digs, adding four assists and four aces

FIRST SET

- Back-to-back Ortiz aces gave WU an 11-9 lead in the first set
- AU cut it to one on a Hailee Wilhelm kill, but a Schaff block and Kasprak ace made it 13-10
- An Alles kill put Wingate on top 17-13, but a Maya Learmonth kill got AU within one at 18-17
- A Mather kill and Blackley block made it 20-17, but Anderson answered to get back within two
- The 'Dogs scored the next four points, getting an Ortiz ace and Schaff kill to take a 24-18 lead
- Schaff ended the frame with a kill

SECOND SET

- Three Abernathy kills helped the Bulldogs jump out to a 6-2 lead in set two
- A block and a kill from Wilhelm gave the Trojans an 11-10 advantage
- Two Mather kills and a Lambillotte ace gave Wingate a 14-12 lead
- Learmonth's kill got Anderson back within one at 18-17, but WU scored the next three
- Mather started the spurt with back-to-back kills, while a Lambillotte kill capped it
- A kill and an ace from Lambillotte made it 23-19; Mather followed with a kill
- Mather ended the frame with a kill to give the 'Dogs a 2-0 lead

THIRD SET

- Regan Duty's kill gave the Trojans an 11-6 lead in set three
- Kills from Lambillotte and Schaff made it 14-9, but Anderson scored the next four
- Duty's kill put the Trojans on top 20-10, but three kills from Ahrens got WU within five
- Noelle Knutsen ended the frame with back-to-back kills

FOURTH SET

- Anderson used a 9-0 run to take a 14-3 lead and never looked back
- The 'Dogs committed five errors in the AU flurry
- Back-to-back Wingate errors ended the frame
- WU six kills and nine errors, hitting -.091 in the set

FIFTH SET

- The Trojans jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the fifth frame
- Wingate used a 5-0 run to take a 7-4 advantage
- Schaff and Lambillotte had two kills apiece in the key flurry
- Lambillotte delivered three straight kills to put the 'Dogs on top 11-6
- A kill from Duty got AU within three at 12-9, but Wingate closed it out with three straight points
- A Mather block and Anderson error made it 14-9
- Ortiz ended the match with an ace

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back in action Saturday, traveling to Newberry for a 2 p.m. start
- The 'Dogs are back home next weekend, hosting UVA-Wise Friday at 7 p.m.
- WU's final regular season home match is next Saturday at 2 p.m. against Tusculum