GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Wingate University setter Rachel Alles recorded 33 assists and 14 digs to lead the Bulldogs to a 3-0 South Atlantic Conference win at Tusculum University Friday night at Pioneer Arena.
Wingate (15-0, 8-0 SAC) won by scores of 25-13, 25-23, 25-13 to remain undefeated on the season and remain atop of the league standings.
The loss spoiled the career milestone for Tusculum libero Melissa Mazur as she moved into sole possession of second place on the TU all-time digs list. The Chicago, Illinois senior finished the night with a match-high 22 digs to give her 2,136 for her career, moving past former All-SAC standout Alexis Rowles (Linn) who posted 2,134 from 2004-2007.
Alles also added five kills and posted a .556 hitting percentage to go along with two service aces and three blocks.
Wingate posted a .278 hitting percentage on the evening as the visitors totaled 44 kills on 115 total attempts with 12 errors. WU's Sophie Schaff tallied nine kills, while Phoebe Havenaar and Hannah Givens had eight kills each.
For Tusculum, Aubrey Hawkins posted a team-high eight kills and hit .263 for the match. Cassie Born and Gabby Gray tallied seven kills each, while Lydia Collins posted five kills in the loss. Setter Emily Lawless totaled 27 assists while Jordan Zaleski accounted for 10 digs for the Pioneers.
Wingate opened the match with an 11-4 run capped off by back-to-back blocks from Sophie Schaff, along with Alles and Givens. The Pioneers could not get any closer than seven points for the rest of the frame as the Bulldogs won 25-13. WU hit .282 in the set, while the Pioneers posted a minus-.051 hitting percentage.
Wingate maintained the momentum early in the second set and jumped out to a 7-2 lead sparked by back-to-back service aces from Alles. The Pioneers answered with 13-3 spurt including six consecutive points to take its largest lead of the match at 15-10. But back came the Bulldogs as WU used a 10-2 run, capped off by a Reese Blackley kill to lead 20-17. TU trailed 23-21 following a kill by WU's Molly Lambillotte. Tusculum answered with kills from Born and Gray to tie the set at 23-23. But following a Wingate timeout, Havenaar and Givens responded with a kill each to close out the set 25-23 and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Bulldogs posted a .343 hitting percentage in the third set including three kills each from Alles and Schaff as Wingate closed out the match with a 25-13 win in the frame.
Tusculum (2-12, 0-8 SAC) returns to action on Saturday when they host Coker College for a 2 p.m. match to wrap up a three-match home-stand.
