WINGATE, N.C. --- The Tusculum College volleyball team fell to the top-seeded Wingate University Bulldogs 3-0 on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Division II Southeast Region Tournament at Cuddy Arena.

Stormi Gale tallied a match-high 14 kills to lead the Bulldogs (35-1), while Bailee Price paced the Pioneers (18-15) with six kills in the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Maggie Malone had 20 digs to lead Wingate, while Amanda Clark and Liz Willis paced the Bulldogs with 17 and 15 assists, respectively.

Four Pioneers turned in double figures in digs, led by Sam Underwood's total of 13. Price and Melanie Gibson each tallied 11 digs while Gina Coffaro chipped in with 10. Coffaro also paced the Pioneers with nine assists.

Wingate scored four of the first five points in the opening set to take an early 4-1 lead, before Tusculum rallied with a quick 3-0 spurt to even the score at 4-4. The team traded points for the next several rallies until, with the score at 10-9 in favor of the Bulldogs, Wingate surged ahead with a 10-2 run to open a 20-11 advantage. Wingate then closed out the 25-13 first set win with a 5-2 run.

The Bulldogs opened the second set with a quick 7-1 run, and after the Pioneers closed the gap to 10-5, went on a 6-2 spurt to open a 16-7 lead on a kill by Katie Handy. Wingate then closed out the second set with a 9-5 surge to take a 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-12 win in the second frame.

Wingate started off strong in the third set, opening an early 7-3 lead before Tusculum closed the gap to 11-9 with a 6-4 run. The Bulldogs responded with a 6-1 spurt to open a 17-10 advantage, before closing out the straight-set win with an 8-3 run and a 25-13 victory in the third frame.

The Bulldogs now advance to the semifinal round to take on Carson-Newman College on Saturday. Tusculum concludes its NCAA Tournament run with a 18-15 record and is expected to return eight letter-winners next season.

- TC -