BOX SCORE

Harrogate, Tenn.----Wingate University junior middle blocker Grace Krauser (Louisville, Ky.) tied a career-high with 16 kills to lead the top-seeded and 14th-ranked Bulldogs to a 3-1 victory over the number two seed Catawba College Indians in the Food Lion SAC Tournament championship match Sunday afternoon. Wingate won by scores of 25-20, 21-25, 25-22 and 25-12 to win its sixth consecutive tournament title.

The Bulldogs improve to 30-0 overall, winning 30 matches for the fifth consecutive season. Wingate has now won 18 consecutive SAC tournament matches and 23 of 25 since 2003. Wingate improves to 161-8 overall since the start of the 2007 season, good for a nation’s best .953 winning percentage. The Bulldogs, who entered the tournament as the top seed in the Southeast Region, are in good shape to host their fourth consecutive NCAA Southeast regional tournament. Catawba falls to 23-7 overall, and will receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

Krauser hit .348 on the afternoon, adding seven digs and two blocks. Redshirt sophomore rightside hitter Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) added 13 kills, 12 digs, five assists and three blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) had 12 kills and a season-high 19 digs for the Bulldogs. Senior setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) had 52 assists and 12 digs, while senior libero Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) collected 24 digs.

“This was a very special win for us,” head coach Shelton Collier says. “Catawba played incredible defense and really pushed us to play at a new higher level than we have played all season. We had so many players that contributed to the win; I’m really proud of our team.”

Willis was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. She becomes the first player in SAC history to earn SAC Player of the Year, SAC Scholar Athlete and SAC Tournament MVP in the same year. Malone and Krauser join her on the All-Tournament team. Catawba’s Shay Meeks (Kings Mountain, N.C.) and Jenny Young (Roanoke, Va.) also earned All-Tournament honors. Tusculum’s Sam Underwood (Muncie, Ind.) and Mars Hill’s Marissa Wixson (Spring, Texas) round out the team.

Meeks led the Catawba attack with 16 kills to go along with nine digs. Junior outside hitter Kaitlyn Whitmer (Ferrum, Va.) added 13 kills and 18 digs. Junior setter Jordan Raye (Boonville, N.C.) had 38 assists, 14 digs and six kills. Young piled up a match-high 42 digs.

Catawba took a 9-6 lead in the opening set on a Meeks kills. Wingate rallied back to take a 12-11 lead on a McGowan kill. The Indians scored the next four points, taking a 15-12 advantage. The spurt was capped by an ace from Raye and block from Whitmer. Catawba led 17-13 on a Wingate error. The ‘Dogs had the emphatic answer, scoring the next five points to take a one-point lead, highlighted by two kills each from Murach and Krauser. Meeks tied it at 19 with a kill, but the Bulldogs pushed the lead back to two on a pair of Krauser kills. Another Meeks kill trimmed the deficit to one at 21-20, but Wingate responded with the final four points of the set. McGowan and Hilton contributed kills, while a Catawba error finished the opening frame.

Kills from Meeks and sophomore middle blocker Emily Richardson (Salem, Va.) put Catawba on top 12-5 in the second set. A kill and a block from Krauser cut it to three at 14-11. The Indians used a 3-0 run to take an 18-13 lead, getting kills from Meeks and Whitmer. A McGowan kill and Catawba error got Wingate to within three at 22-19, but Raye answered with a kill, while a Wingate error made it 24-20. Whitmer capped the second set with a kill to tie the match.

Two kills and a block from Meeks highlighted a 6-0 run to give Catawba a 14-10 lead in the third set. The Bulldogs fought back, getting a Hilton kill to get within one at 18-17. The Indians took a 20-18 advantage on a Wingate error. Kills from Krauser and McGowan, along with a Catawba error put the ‘Dogs on top 21-20. Meeks answered with a kill to tie it at 21. A Krauser kill, followed by a kill from freshman middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) made it 23-21. A Wingate error trimmed the lead to one, but Potter pushed it back to two with another kill. A Catawba error capped the third set, putting Wingate on top 2-1 in the match.

The fourth frame was tight early, with a Meeks kill getting Catawba to within one at 9-8. The Bulldogs answered with a 6-0 run to take a seven-point lead. McGowan had a kill and a block in the flurry, while Willis finished it with an ace. A Whitmer kill trimmed the lead to six at 16-10. The ‘Dogs then reeled off seven consecutive points to make it 23-10. Hilton, Krauser and McGowan started the flurry with kills, while senior outside hitter Janice Ehorn (Orange, Conn.) had a pair of kills to end the spurt. The ‘Dogs would go to back to Ehorn, who finished the match with back-to-back kills, clinching Wingate’s sixth consecutive title.

Wingate hit .219 on the afternoon, with 62 kills and 20 errors in a season-high 192 attacks. Catawba, who led the SAC in the regular season with a .252 hitting percentage, was held to .144 on Sunday, with 48 kills and 21 errors in 188 attacks. Wingate’s 102 digs were the second-highest total this season.

Both teams will hear their postseason future Sunday night, when the NCAA Tournament field is announced via live video stream at 10 p.m. on the ncaa.com. Wingate, who receives the league’s automatic bid, will be playing in its seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament.