Wingate Takes Fifth Straight Food Lion SAC Volleyball Championship With 3-1 Win Over Tusculum
SALISBURY, N.C. -- The Wingate University Bulldogs collected their fifth consecutive Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament title, defeating Tusculum College 3-1 in the championship match Sunday afternoon in Goodman Gym.
Wingate won by scores of 25-20, 25-16, 22-25 and 25-5 to improve to 28-1 overall. Tusculum falls to 25-6 on the season.
Wingate wins its sixth conference title in eight years. The Bulldogs are now 21-2 in the SAC Tournament since 2003. The 'Dogs are 128-7 overall since the start of the 2007 season, good for a .948 winning percentage which leads all of Division II. The Bulldogs have been the number one seed in the NCAA Southeast Region in every poll this season, and will likely be the top seed and host the Regional Tournament for the third consecutive year. The announcement will be made Sunday night at 10 p.m.
"It was a great win today for so many reasons," head coach Shelton Collier says. "First, Tusculum is a very good, young, talented team, and we knew we would have to play really well to beat them. Secondly, we all realize the reality that we were almost knocked out in the quarterfinals, which would mean we would not even be around for the semifinals or finals. So we have a special appreciation of this victory with that in mind. It is obviously amazing that our team has won five straight regular season and five straight tournament titles. Our players are very proud of that."
Freshman outside hitter Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) racked up a career-high 17 kills to go along with 15 digs and a pair of blocks to lead the Wingate attack. Senior middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) added 13 kills, 12 digs and four blocks. Redshirt freshman middle blocker Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) had eight kills and four blocks for Wingate. Senior setter Amanda Clark (Timberlake, N.C.) handed out 37 assists, while junior setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) added 22 assists and nine digs. Junior libero Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) collected 29 digs.
Gale earns SAC Tournament MVP honors for the second time in her career. The two-time SAC Player of the Year also earned MVP honors in 2008. Malone and McGowan join Gale on the All-Tournament team for Wingate. Tusculum freshman libero Caitlyn Dean (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and freshman setter Ashley Sarmiento (Dayton, Ohio) also earned All-Tournament accolades. Lincoln Memorial senior setter Lauren Kiwacka (Tipp City, Ohio) and Carson-Newman senior outside hitter Carly Mozgai (Greensboro, N.C.) round out the All-Tournament team.
Sophomore outside hitter Sam Underwood (Muncie, Ind.) had eight kills and 19 digs to lead the Tusculum attack. Senior middle blocker Allyson Ray (Hudson, Fla.) added eight kills for the Pioneers. Sarmiento had 27 assists and 11 digs, while Dean piled up 29 digs.
A Gale kill, followed by back-to-back McGowan kills gave the Bulldogs a 15-9 advantage in the opening set. A kill from Ray got Tusculum to within four at 19-15. A Gale kill, followed by a block from Hilton and sophomore middle blocker Grace Krauser (Louisville, Ky.) pushed Wingate's lead back to six at 22-16. The Pioneers answered by scoring the next four points, capped by a pair of kills from freshman outside hitter Rhayne Smitherman (Columbus, Ohio) to make it 22-20. Gale answered with a kill, while a Tusculum error gave the 'Dogs a 24-20 lead. Willis finished the set with an ace.
Wingate used a 4-0 run, sparked by a McGowan kill to take a 13-8 lead in the second set. Tusculum trimmed the lead to three at 13-10 on consecutive Wingate errors. Kills from Gale and junior outside hitter Janice Ehorn (Orange, Conn.) gave the Bulldogs a 17-11 advantage. A kill from Ray, along with a Wingate error got Tusculum within four at 18-14. A 3-0 run from the Dogs, highlighted by kills from Gale and McGowan, made it 21-14. Freshman outside hitter Katie Handy (Palos Verdes, Calif.) capped the second frame with a kill.
Tusculum used a 7-0 run to take a 19-10 lead in the third set. Ray got it started with back-to-back kills, while also capping the flurry with a kill. A kill from sophomore outside hitter Sam Underwood (Muncie, Ind.), along with a Wingate error gave the Pioneers a 24-17 lead. Wingate scored five straight points to cut the lead to two on a Hilton kill. Tusculum claimed the set on a Wingate error.
The Bulldogs came out on fire in the fourth frame, taking a 12-0 lead behind the serving of Clark. Gale and Hilton combined on a pair of early blocks, while Gale added a solo block. Kills from Hilton and Gale, along with a Clark ace made it 11-0. A Tusculum error capped the early flurry. The 'Dogs added a 6-0 run to take a 22-3 advantage. Hilton got it started with a kill, while McGowan capped it with consecutive kills. Tusculum had just one kill in the final frame, coming from sophomore middle blocker Alyssa Raterman (Urbana, Ohio) to make it 24-5. The 'Dogs claimed the title on a Tusculum error. Wingate hit .609 in the final frame, with 14 kills and no errors in 23 swings, The Pioneers hit -.200 in the last set, with one kill and six errors in 25 attacks.
The Bulldogs hit .243 for the match, with 61 kills and 18 errors in 177 attacks. Tusculum had 34 kills and 21 errors in 160 attacks, good for a .081 hitting percentage. Wingate had seven aces on the day, led by Clark's three.
Wingate receives the automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Tournament. It will be the sixth straight appearance in the tournament for the Bulldogs. Tusculum was the third-ranked team in the Southeast Region poll entering the week, and will learn its future during Sunday night's selection show.
Stormi Gale post-match interview
Wingate Coach Shelton Collier post-match interview