WINGATE, N.C. --- In a battle of the two top teams in the South Atlantic Conference, Wingate University rallied back after dropping the first set, defeating visiting Tusculum College 3-1 in Saturday afternoon at Cuddy Arena. With the victory, the Bulldogs (21-1, 14-0 SAC) remain atop the league standings, while the Pioneers fall to 18-5 overall, 12-2 in SAC.
Wingate won the match by scores of 24-26, 25-17, 25-20, 27-25 to
improve to 21-1 overall and 14-0 in the league. The Bulldogs have
won 19 consecutive matches, and 60 consecutive regular season SAC
matches dating back to the 2007 season.
Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) led the Wingate attack with 19 kills,
15 digs, three blocks and three aces, while hitting .459 on the
day. Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added 16 kills and 14 digs,
while Lauren Billo (Orland Park, Ill.) chipped in with 12 kills and
10 digs. Amanda Clark (Timberlake, N.C.) had 28 assists and 10
digs, while Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) added 22 assists and 17
digs. Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) collected a team-high 20 digs
in the victory.
Tusculum outside hitter Rhayne Smitherman (Columbus, Ohio) had a match-high 21 kills to lead the Tusculum attack. Bailee Price (Fort Wayne, Ind.) had 10 kills and 14 digs, while Sam Underwood (Muncie, Ind.) added 10 kills and 11 digs. Freshman setter Ashley Sarmiento (Dayton, Ohio) had 45 assists and 11 digs, while freshman libero Caitlyn Dean (Fort Wayne, Ind.) collected a match-high 31 digs in the loss.
The Pioneers took a 12-10 lead in the first set on a Smitherman
kill. The 'Dogs answered with four straight points, highlighted by
three McGowan kills to take a 14-12 advantage. A Billo kill put
Wingate on top 18-15. Tusculum battled back, scoring five of the
next six points to take a 20-19 lead. A kill and an ace from Price
tied it at 19, while Raterman gave the Pioneers the lead with a
kill. Wingate answered with an ace from Malone and a kill from
sophomore middle blocker Grace Krauser (Louisville, Ky.) to take a
24-23 lead. Tusculum's Allyson Ray (Hudson, Fla.) tied the set at
24 with a kill, while a Price kill made it 25-24. Melanie Gibson
(Signal Mountain, Tenn.) capped the set with an ace.
Kills from Gale and McGowan, along with a Tusculum error gave the
'Dogs a 13-9 lead in the second set. A Smitherman kill cut
Wingate's lead to three at 18-15. Kills from Gale and Krauser put
the Bulldogs on top 20-15. Wingate used a key 4-0 run to take a
24-16 advantage. Krauser got it started with a kill, while McGowan
capped it with back-to-back kills. Krauser finished the set with a
kill.
A Billo ace and Gale kill gave Wingate a 15-9 lead in the third set. Tusculum answered by scoring the next five points to trim the lead to one. Ray got it started with a kill, while Smitherman added two kills and a block. A McGowan kill pushed the lead back to three at 18-15. Price notched a kill to get the Pioneers within one at 19-18. Back-to-back Gale kills, along with an ace from Clark put the 'Dogs on top 22-18. Tusculum would get no closer than three the rest of the way, as McGowan would finish the set with a kill.
The fourth and final set featured 13 ties and seven lead changes. Tusculum jumped out to a 10-6 lead, taking advantage of three consecutive Wingate errors. The Bulldogs battled back, using a 3-0 run to tie the set at 12 on a Gale kill. The Pioneers led 17-16 on a kill from Underwood. Wingate responded by scoring the next four points to take a 20-17 lead. Billo got it started with a pair of kills, while Rebecca Bloemer (Louisville, Ky.) capped it with a kill. Tusculum battled back, tying the set at 22 on a kill from Price, then taking a 23-22 advantage on a Wingate error. The Pioneers held a 25-24 lead, serving to send the match to a fifth set, but Bloemer notched a huge kill to tie it at 25. A Tusculum error gave Wingate a 26-25 advantage, while Krauser finished the match with a kill.
The Bulldogs hit .287 for the match, with 69 kills and 18 errors in 178 attacks. The 69 kills are a season high for the Bulldogs, who entered the match ranking fourth nationally in kills per set. The Pioneers hit .204, with 56 kills and 19 errors in 181 attacks. Gale had three of Wingate's six aces to lead the Bulldogs, while Gibson had two of Tusculum's four.
Tusculum returns to action this Tuesday night as the Pioneers travel to archrival Carson-Newman for a 6:30 p.m. match in Jefferson City.
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