Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs picked up their fourth straight home sweep Saturday afternoon, cruising past visiting Limestone in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-18, 25-16 and 25-14 to improve to 5-1 overall and 5-1 in the SAC, while the Saints fall to 2-4 overall and 2-4 in league play.

THOUGHTS FROM ANNE ABERNATHY

"What a great win for the team on Senior Day! We had lots of great contributions from everyone today. We have been truly grinding at all positions in practice and that was reflected well in the win. Everyone who came in was able to apply all the details we have worked so hard on, and it was so rewarding to see the work put into action on game day. It has been an honor to be a Bulldog these past four years. This program has the ability to speak for itself."

KEY STATS

- Wingate hit .378 on the day; Limestone hit .043
- The Bulldogs piled up 47 kills compared to 18 from the Saints
- The 'Dogs had five of the seven blocks on the day
- WU held a 53-39 advantage in digs
- The Bulldogs collected 11 aces while the Saints had five
- The 'Dogs had at least 13 kills in every frame, hitting over .280 in all three sets

KEY BULLDOGS

- Marianna Warren had nine kills and seven digs, hitting .438 on the day
- Reese Blackley added eight kills in 13 swings, hitting .538 in two sets of action
- Sophie Schaff contributed six kills and two blocks, hitting .312
- Anne Abernathy had five kills and two digs, hitting .400
- Lorna Stacherski also had five kills, hitting .444 in her one set of action
- Molly Lambillotte registered four kills and six digs in two sets
- Caroline Pour collected three kills in six swings, hitting .500 with three aces and two blocks
- Shannon Kasprak had 35 assists, four digs, three kills two aces and two blocks
- Caroline Niesen compiled 13 digs, two aces and two assists

SET ONE

- A 6-0 run gave Wingate a 9-4 lead, getting two Niesen aces in the spurt
- A Sydney Bibby kill pulled the Saints within two at 11-9
- A Lambillotte kill and Schaff block put the 'Dogs back on top by four
- A kill and a block from Blackley, followed by a Kasprak ace made it 17-11
- Two Abernathy kills put the Bulldogs on top 21-15
- Two Schaff kills and a Blackley kill made it 24-18; Kasprak ended it with a kill
- Wingate hit .500 in the opening frame with 16 kills and just two errors in 28 swings

SET TWO

- Kills from Schaff and Blackley, along with a Warren ace put WU on top 8-3
- Kills from Blackley and Maggie Young sparked a 4-0 run that made it 13-6
- A Warren kill and Young ace pushed the lead to eight at 17-9
- Vanessa Blas sparked a 4-0 run to pull the Saints within four at 17-13
- Two Warren kills and a Schaff block pushed the advantage back to seven at 20-13
- Kills from Warren and Abernathy put the 'Dogs on top 24-16; a Limestone error ended the set

SET THREE

- Warren capped a 4-0 run with back-to-back kills to give Wingate an 8-4 lead
- An ace from Blas got Limestone within one at 9-8
- The Bulldogs scored the next six, getting two kills each from Warren and Stacherski to go on top 15-8
- A kill and two aces from Pour gave Wingate a 19-10 advantage
- A Rayah Givens kill, Maggie Mullen ace and Warren block made it 24-14
- Warren ended the match with a kill
- WU hit .368 in the last frame with 18 kills

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back in action Tuesday, hosting Mars Hill at 7 p.m.
- The 'Dogs wrap up the regular season on the road, traveling to UVA Wise and Queens