Wingate wins 2006 Food Lion SAC Volleyball Tournament

Wingate, N.C. ----The top-seeded Wingate University Bulldogs captured the 2006 Food Lion SAC volleyball tournament championship Saturday afternoon with a 3-0 (30-27, 30-17, 30-15) victory over second-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne College in Cuddy Arena. With the victory, Wingate (25-7 overall) qualifies for the NCAA Division II play-offs for the third time in the past four years.

The Bulldogs took advantage of senior middle blocker Rebecca Brezovec (Durham, N.C.) serving up 11 straight points in the deciding third game. Brezovec's flurry gave Wingate a commanding 27-13 lead in the final frame.

Brezovec led all players with 17 kills for the day. She was selected to the All-Tournament team for her efforts. Bulldog senior middle blocker Molly Kerns (Bellefontaine, Ohio) added 15 kills, registering a .591 hitting percentage for the match. Kerns led the Bulldogs with six blocks (two solo, four assists).

Wingate junior setter Melissa Deluca (Bahama, N.C.) was named Tournament MVP, helping the Bulldogs to the victory with 37 assists during the championship match. Deluca averaged over 35 assists a match during the SAC tournament. Thanks to Deluca's precise passes, Wingate hit .376 in the championship tilt.

"Our team peaked at the right time," Wingate head coach Shelton Collier said. "Our seniors were especially pointing for this championship all season. Our younger players really stepped up and played at a high level."

Lenoir-Rhyne was led by sophomore hitter Abby Smith (Virginia Beach, Va.), who had eight kills during the match for the Bears. Lenoir-Rhyne junior setter Lauren McLelland (Statesville, N.C.) contributed 30 assists on the afternoon. The Bears hit .141 for the match, including a .029 performance in the second game.

Bulldog outside hitter Jacki Emmenecker (Perrysburg, Ohio) joined Brezovec and Deluca on the All-Tournament team. For Lenoir-Rhyne, junior libero Catherine Fulton (Hendersonville, N.C.) and senior middle blocker Kathryn Phillips (Lexington, N.C.) were named to the honor squad. The All-Tournament team also included Catawba junior setter Andi Henderson (Swansboro, N.C.) and Carson-Newman sophomore hitter Kelsey Fleck (Celina, Ohio).

"We put forth a focused effort to pick up three consecutive 3-0 wins in the tournament (Mars Hill, Carson-Newman, Lenoir-Rhyne)," Collier noted. "The team with the best seniors often wins championships. We have four very special ones here."

The Bulldogs will travel to an undetermined site in Florida Nov. 9-11 for the NCAA Division II South Regional tournament. Pairings and match times will be announced tomorrow (Sunday) at 10 p.m. from NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis.

2006 Food Lion SAC Volleyball Tournament
Lenoir-Rhyne vs Wingate (Nov 04, 2006 at Wingate, N.C.)

Wingate def. Lenoir-Rhyne 3-0 (30-27, 30-17, 30-15)

Lenoir-Rhyne (25-13) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Abby Smith 8-0-1; Jordan Ledford 7-1-0; Katie Sloan 7-0-2; Katie Novacek 5-1-0; Kathryn Phillips 4-1-0; Lauren McLelland 1-0-0; Natalie Krause 1-1-0; Stephanie Carter 1-3-0; Totals 34-7-3.0. (Assists) - Lauren McLelland 30. (Dig leaders) - Catherine Fulton 11; Jordan Ledford 5

Wingate (25-7) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Rebecca Brezovec 17-7-3; Molly Kerns 15-0-6; Jacki Emmenecker 5-1-3; Kathryn Reddick 4-0-1; Lauren Alley 3-0-3; Melissa Deluca 2-0-1; Rachelle Rostas 1-0-1; Danielle Thompson 0-1-0; Chelsea Cancelliere 0-3-0; Amanda Siegrist 0-2-0; Totals 47-14-11.0. (Assists) - Melissa Deluca 37. (Dig leaders) - Jacki Emmenecker 9; Amanda Siegrist 5

Site: Wingate, N.C. (Cuddy Arena)
Date: Nov 04, 2006 Attend: 325 Time: 1:18
Referees: Claire Rauscher, Dennis Branch