WINGATE, N.C. – The Limestone University women's volleyball team posted just a .076 attacking percentage, allowing Wingate University to finish a 3-0 sweep on Saturday, October 23 at Cuddy Arena.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Wingate 3, Limestone 0
Set Scores: 25-18, 25-19, 25-10
Records: Wingate (15-3, 11-3), Limestone (7-10, 4-8)
Location: Cuddy Arena
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
 

• Freshman Paige Gardella (Sugar Grove, Ill.) paced the Saints with 13 assists to go with five digs
• Senior Madysen Williams (Antioch, Tenn.) added six kills and five digs
• Freshman Josie Curran (Westerville, Ohio) finished with six kills, three digs, and a block assist
• Junior Leilani Wilcox Nanai (Christchurch, New Zealand) tallied six kills for Limestone
• Senior Madeline Yeager (Sacramento, Calif.) chipped in five kills and two assisted blocks
• Junior Abbey Baker (York, S.C.) handed out seven assists and finished with a pair of digs
• Seniors Gabby Wessels (Watseka, Ill.) and Bailey Carpenter (Lawrenceville, Ga.) both posted six digs
• Senior Madyson Lousignont (Las Vegas, Nev.) recorded two aces and two digs
• Limestone had 25 kills, but finished with 18 errors, on 92 attacks for a .076 attack percentage
• Wingate registered a .415 attacking percentage, logging 47 kills against just eight errors

 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Set
 
After splitting the first two points following a kill by Curran for Limestone, the Bulldogs rattled off four straight points to move in front, 5-1. However, the Saints countered with an 9-4 run, highlighted by back-to-back service aces from Lousignont and two attacks by Wilcox Nanai, to give the visitors a 10-9 lead.
 
Wingate followed up with three points in a row to spark an overall 8-2 stretch, putting the home team on top, 17-12. Two more kills from Wilcox Nanai helped the Blue and Gold trim the margin to 19-16 a few minutes later, but the Bulldogs would finish off the opening set on a 6-2 spurt to take a match lead, 25-18.
 
Second Set
 
The Bulldogs raced out to a quick 5-2 lead in the second set, but consecutive kills by Williams and an attack by Lousignont powered a 4-1 counterattack to even the frame at 6-all. Wingate answered with a 7-3 run to regain the upper hand, 13-9, but Limestone would stay within striking distance behind a 5-2 rally.
 
Attacks from Yeager and Williams bookended a pair of kills by Curran as the Saints closed to with 15-14 at the midway point, but the Bulldogs responded with a 7-2 spurt to take control of the set, 22-16. Curran had a pair of kills down the stretch, both assisted by Gardella, but Wingate finished off the set win, 25-19.
 
Third Set
 
The Blue and Gold took advantage of three Wingate errors to grab a 3-1 edge early in set three, but the home team likewise capitalized on three Limestone errors to power a 5-1 run to take a 6-4 lead. A kill by Curran pulled the Saints to within a point, 6-5, but the Bulldogs would quickly put the frame out of reach.
 
Yeager tallied a pair of kills while Wilcox Nanai added an attack to briefly slow down a relentless stretch, but Wingate quickly finished off the sweep as it scored 19 of the final 24 points to win comfortably, 25-10.
 
TURNING POINT
 
Trailing in set one to the Saints, the Bulldogs rallied behind runs of 8-2 and 6-2 to take the opening frame, and that would set the tone for the rest of the match. Wingate put together stretches of 7-3 and 7-2 in the middle stanza before wrapping up the 3-0 sweep with a dominating 19-5 surge in the third and final set.
 
NOTABLES
 

• Senior Vanessa Blas (Concord, N.C.) was limited to just a single kill by the Wingate defense
• Limestone hit -.154 in the third set, finishing with only five kills to go with nine errors
• Wingate posted an attack percentage of .357 or higher every set, including .517 in the second

 
UP NEXT
 
The Saints are back in action next weekend when they travel to take on first-place Tusculum University on Friday, October 29 at 7 p.m.