Wingate Beats Lees-McRae, Carson-Newman Tops Tusculum, LMU Falls To Montevallo in NCAA Volleyball Tournament

WINGATE, N.C. -- For the third consecutive season, the top-seeded Wingate University Bulldogs swept their way through quarter-final action of the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional volleyball tournament. Wingate swept the Bobcats of Lees-McRae College, winning 25-12, 25-23 and 25-18 to advance to its third straight regional semi-final match. The 25th-ranked Bulldogs (29-1 overall) have now won 27 consecutive matches this season. The Bobcats end their season at 25-8 overall.

"This may have been the best crowd to ever attend a volleyball match here," Wingate head coach Shelton Collier says. "Their presence certainly added to the excitement and enthusiasm of the match. We are happy to have won tonight; I know our players are really looking forward to the opportunity to keep playing this weekend."

Freshman outside hitter Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) had 12 kills, 11 digs and four blocks to lead the Wingate attack. Senior middle blocker Rebecca Bloemer (Louisville, Ky.) added 10 kills, four blocks and a .429 hitting percentage. Junior setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) had 19 assists and seven digs, while senior setter Amanda Clark (Timberlake, N.C.) had 14 assists and nine digs.

Senior middle blocker Whitney Justice (Connelly Springs, N.C.) had 12 kills to lead the Lees-McRae attack. Freshman middle blocker Lauren Fox (Garland, Texas) added eight kills for the Bobcats. Sophomore setter Megan Mitchell (Minden, Nev.) had 22 assists and 12 digs, while junior outside hitter Megan Epperson (St. John, Ind.) collected a match-high 13 digs.

Wingate's Cory McGowan digs the ball against Lees-McRae College. Photo Gallery

Kills from seniors Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) and Lauren Billo (Orland Park, Ill.), along with a Lees-McRae error, gave Wingate a 15-8 lead in the opening frame. The 'Dogs used a 4-0 run to take a 21-10 lead, getting kills from Gale and McGowan to spark the flurry. A kill from sophomore middle blocker Grace Krauser (Louisville, Ky.) made it 24-12. The Bulldogs capped the set on an LMC error. Wingate hit .433 in the opening frame, while the Bobcats hit -.071.

A Gale kill put Wingate on top 17-10 in the second set. The Bobcats fought back, scoring nine of the next 11 points to tie the set at 19. Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Clendenin (Statesville, N.C.) had back-to-back kills, while a Wingate error tied the set. A kill from Gale, followed by a Lees-McRae error and a block from Krauser and McGowan, put the 'Dogs on top 22-19. Justice answered with a kill to trim the lead to one at 22-21. A Bloemer kill pushed the lead to 24-22, while Bloemer would go ahead and cap the set with another kill.

Back-to-back kills from Justice gave the Bobcats a 13-11 lead in the third set. The Bulldogs fought back, scoring the next four points to take a one-point lead on a block from Bloemer and Krauser. A kill from Fox cut the Wingate lead to 17-16. The Bulldogs got kills from Gale, McGowan and redshirt freshman middle blocker Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) to take a 20-16 lead. A Fox kill and Wingate error made it 20-18. The 'Dogs would score the final five points of the match. McGowan got it started with a kill, while Krauser followed with a kill. Wingate claimed the match on three consecutive Lees-McRae errors.

Wingate hit .270 for the match, with 42 kills and 12 errors in 111 swings. Lees-McRae hit .055 with 30 kills and 24 errors in 109 attacks. The Bulldogs had 11 blocks, led by Krauser with five. Billo had two of Wingate's three aces on the night. Four different players had one ace each for the Bobcats.

The Bulldogs will face the University of Montevallo Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Wingate defeated the Falcons 3-0 in a match earlier this season in Cuddy Arena. The winner of Saturday's contest will advance to the regional title match Sunday.

No. 6 Carson-Newman 3, No. 3 Tusculum 1

WINGATE, N.C. -- The sixth-seeded Carson-Newman College Eagles rallied to win the final three sets, as they defeated the third-seeded Pioneers of Tusculum College in quarter-final action of the 2010 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional volleyball tournament in Cuddy Arena. The Eagles won by scores of 17-25, 25-22, 25-23 and 27-25 to improve to 20-10 overall. They advance to Saturday's regional semi-finals. Tusculum ends its season with a 25-7 overall record.

Senior outside hitter Carly Mozgai (Greensboro, N.C.) had 16 kills and 13 digs to lead the Carson-Newman attack. Junior middle hitter Nikki James (Cookeville, Tenn.) had 11 kills and 11 blocks for the Eagles, while junior outside hitter Carly Swisher (Fort Collins, Colo.) had 13 kills with a .324 hitting percentage. Senior setter Lara McDonald (Salem, Va.) notched 47 assists and 11 digs, while sophomore libero Angelle Hayes (Brentwood, Tenn.) collected 24 digs.

Freshman outside hitter Rhayne Smitherman (Columbus, Ohio) had a match-high 19 kills to lead the Tusculum attack. Senior middle blocker Allyson Ray (Hudson, Fla.) and sophomore outside hitter Bailee Price (Fort Wayne, Ind.) had 11 kills each for the Pioneers. Freshman setter Ashley Sarmiento (Dayton, Ohio) handed out 51 assists to go along with 10 digs and five blocks while freshman libero Caitlyn Dean (Fort Wayne, Ind.) collected 23 digs.

Carson-Newman's Carly Mozgai digs a ball against Tusculum in Friday's NCAA Southeast Region match. (Photo by Mike Slade). Photo Gallery

Kills from Mozgai and Swisher gave the Eagles a 16-13 lead in the opening set. Tusculum had the emphatic answer, scoring 12 of the final 13 points in the set to claim a 25-17 win. Three consecutive Carson-Newman errors tied it at 16, while an ace from sophomore outside hitter Sam Underwood (Muncie, Ind.) gave the Pioneers the lead for good at 17-16. Kills from Price and Smitherman, followed by back-to-back aces from Price, made it 24-17. A Carson-Newman error finished the first set.

The Eagles jumped out to an 11-6 lead in the opening set, capped by a James block. Kills from Ray and Underwood trimmed the lead to two at 14-12. No team would lead by more than three the rest of the way. A kill and a block from James gave the Eagles a 22-20 advantage. A Carson-Newman error cut the lead back to one, but James teamed with freshman Courtney Lawson (Chattanooga, Tenn.) for a block to make it 23-21. Lawson followed with an ace, while Ray capped the frame with a kill.

Tusculum used a 9-1 run to take a 19-12 lead in the third set. Price got it started with a kill and an ace. Consecutive Smitherman kills, along with a block, capped the flurry to put the Pioneers on top by seven. The Eagles answered by scoring the next six points to cut the lead to one. James got the spurt going with back-to-back kills, followed by back-to-back blocks. Kills from Mozgai and James tied the set at 20. Kills from Price and Underwood gave Tusculum a 22-20 lead. Carson-Newman scored the next three points to take a 23-22 lead on a Tusculum error. Ray tied the set at 23 with a kill. The Eagles then turned to Mozgai, who hammered home the final two points of the set to give Carson-Newman a 2-1 lead in the match.

Three Smitherman kills, along with a block from Smitherman and Sarmiento, gave the Pioneers a 16-10 lead in the fourth set. The Eagles used a 5-1 run to cut the lead to two on a kill from Bowlin. A block from Underwood and sophomore middle blocker Alyssa Raterman (Urbana, Ohio) pushed the lead back to three at 20-17. A Smitherman kill would give the Pioneers a 24-21 advantage. Three consecutive Mozgai kills would tie the set at 24. A block from Ray and Sarmiento put Tusculum on top by one. The Eagles went back to Mozgai, who tied the set at 25. A kill from Bowlin put Carson-Newman on top by one, while freshman outside hitter Lindsey Bryant (Gainesville, Ga.) concluded the match with a kill.

Carson-Newman hit .193 for the match, with 55 kills and 21 errors in 176 attacks. The Pioneers hit .209, with 57 kills and 23 errors in 163 attacks. The Eagles had seven aces, led by Lawson and Swisher with two each. Price had four of Tusculum's five aces on the day.

Carson-Newman will take on Flagler College. The semi-final match will take place Saturday at 5 p.m. in Cuddy Arena on the Wingate campus.

No. 5 Montevallo 3, No. 4 Lincoln Memorial 1

WINGATE, N.C. -- The fifth-seeded University of Montevallo Falcons derailed the fourth-seeded Lincoln Memorial University Railsplitters 3-1 in quarterfinal action of the 2010 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional volleyball tournament Friday evening in Cuddy Arena. Montevallo won by scores of 25-15, 9-25, 26-24 and 25-20 to improve to 24-12 overall. The Falcons advance to the regional semi-finals. LMU ends its season at 23-8 overall.

Freshman middle hitter Taylor Chapman (Killen, Ala.) had 10 kills and 11 digs to lead the Montevallo attack. Freshman middle hitter Many Ati (Lawrenceville, Ga.) added 10 kills for the Falcons, while senior outside hitter Rebecca Dowd (Dothan, Ala.) and freshman middle hitter Michelle Carle (Sugar Land, Texas) chipped in with eight kills each. Junior setter Anna Garrison (LaVergne, Tenn.) handed out 36 assists, while junior libero Rachel Wotitzky (Punta Gorda, Fla.) collected 16 digs.

Sophomore middle blocker Blaire Fowler (Fort Worth, Texas) had 16 kills with a .500 hitting percentage to lead the LMU attack. Senior outside hitter Ashley Knight (Palm Harbor, Fla.) added 11 kills and 16 digs for the Railsplitters. Senior rightside hitter/setter Lauren Kiwacka (Tipp City, Ohio) had 26 assists, six digs and three kills, while junior outside hitter Candace Richardson (Houston, Texas) had five kills and 17 digs.

The Falcons used an 11-2 run to take a 19-12 lead in the opening set. Chapman started it with a kill, while Dowd and Ati combined on a block to push the lead to seven. The Falcons took advantage of seven LMU errors in the flurry. Back-to-back kills from Carle pushed the lead to 21-12, while a block from Ati put Montevallo on top by 10. A block from Dowd and sophomore middle hitter Virginia Clay (Fort Collins, Colo.) capped the first set. Montevallo held LMU to a hitting percentage of -.135 in set one.

The Railsplitters turned the tables on the Falcons in the second frame, using a 10-0 run to take a commanding 18-5 lead. Fowler got it started with a kill, while back-to-back kills from Knight capped the flurry. The lead would remain in double digits the rest of the way. Junior middle blocker Kaitlin Posnak (Clearwater, Fla.) finished the set with a kill.

LMU jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead in the third set, getting a pair of kills from Knight to highlight the opening flurry. Montevallo battled back to tie the set at 11 on an Ati kill, then gained a 12-11 lead on an ace from Clay. The Railsplitters responded with a 6-1 run to take an 18-15 lead, getting a block from Fowler and a service ace to cap the spurt. A Fowler kill and Montevallo error gave the LMU a 22-18 lead. Montevallo answered with five straight points to take a 23-22 advantage on a block and a kill from Clay. The set was tied at 24 when an LMU service error gave the Falcons a 25-24 lead. Another Lincoln Memorial error gave the third set to Montevallo.

A 4-0 run gave the Falcons a 16-12 lead in the fourth set, capped by a kill from Dowd. Another Dowd kill, along with an LMU error pushed the lead to five at 19-14. The Railsplitters fought back, getting kills from Fowler and Knight to cut the lead to three at 20-17. A kill from Chapman made it 23-19, while Ati made it 24-19 with a kill. Carle concluded the match with a kill.

Montevallo hit .123 on the match, with 44 kills and 26 errors in 146 attacks. LMU had 49 kills and 25 errors for a hitting percentage of .167. Garrison and Clay had three aces each to lead Montevallo, while Kiwacka had three of Lincoln Memorial's four aces on the day.

The Falcons advance to the regional semi-finals Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. They will take on No. 25 Wingate.