Wingate’s Stormi Gale Named AVCA All-American

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Wingate University senior middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) continues to pile up the awards. The two-time SAC Player of the Year has been named a third team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, officials announced this week. Gale earns AVCA third team All-American honors for the second straight year. She was an honorable mention All-American in 2008.

Gale is only the second player in league history to earn league Player of the Year honors twice. She is now the first player in the history of the conference to be named to an All-American team two times. The four-time first team All-SAC selection and three-time first team All-Region honoree helped the Bulldogs become the first team in the history of the SAC to win a regional title and earn a trip to the Elite Eight.

"Stormi has certainly helped our team accomplish so many special things," head coach Shelton Collier says. "She obviously has some incredible statistics, but equally important, she has developed some exceptional leadership skills in her career here. These skills have allowed her to help her teammates excel. In the NCAA Regionals, she basically imposed her will to win on the team; she was a key factor in leading us to such a special accomplishment. For her to receive such a prestigious individual honor reflects the respect and appreciation others have for her as a player and for our program."

Gale leads the SAC with a .369 hitting percentage, while ranking fourth with 3.26 kills per set. Her 1.02 blocks per set ranks third in the league, while her 0.28 aces per set are good for eighth on the conference charts. She has a team-best 12 double-doubles in 2010, while notching 42 during her illustrious career. She has notched double-digit kills 20 times on the season and has hit above .400 in 14 matches. Gale had 19 kills, 15 digs and a ..459 hitting percentage in Wingate's 3-1 win over Tusculum. She had 19 kills, 20 digs and six blocks in the Food Lion SAC tournament win over Newberry. Gale had 15 kills and zero errors with 12 digs and four blocks at Newberry, hitting .517 for the match. She had 15 kills, 10 digs, five blocks and a .467 hitting percentage against Francis Marion.

Gale has been racking up the awards since stepping on campus in 2007. She earned SAC Freshman of the Year honors in '07, while also earning all-conference accolades and being named to the All-SAC Tournament team. Gale earned first team All-Region honors in 2008, while again earning all-conference honors and being named the MVP of the SAC Tournament. Gale was named to the all-tournament team at the NCAA Southeast Regional. She also became only the second player in Wingate history to earn honorable mention All-American honors her sophomore season.

Gale was named a first team All-American by Daktronics in 2009, becoming the only first team volleyball All-American in league history. She also earned third team honors from the AVCA. She became the first SAC player to earn Region Player of the Year accolades in 2009, while once again earning all-tournament honors in the SAC tournament and Southeast Regional tournament. She repeated as a first team All-SAC and All-Region player in 2010, while once again earning MVP honors at the SAC Tournament.

Gale ranks in the top six in five different categories in Wingate's all-time record books. Her 3.54 career kills per set is an all-time record, while her 1,541 career kills rank second on the all-time list. She is third with 376 block assists, while also ranking third all-time in hitting percentage and sixth in aces.

A high achiever in the classroom, Gale is a three-time Academic All-District III selection. This year, Gale is one of only three players in NCAA Division II to attain ESPN Academic All-America® honors, while also earning All-American accolades.

Gale has led the Bulldogs to an incredible run over the last four years. Wingate claimed its fifth straight regular season and tournament title, while hosting the NCAA Southeast Regionals for the third straight year. The Bulldogs made school and league history by winning the Southeast Regional Tournament and reaching the first Elite Eight in Wingate or SAC volleyball history.

The 'Dogs are 31-1 overall, good for a .969 winning percentage which leads all of Division II. Wingate's current 29-match winning streak is the longest in Division II. It marks the fourth consecutive year Wingate has finished in the top three in the nation in winning percentage, making the Bulldogs the only team to accomplish this feat.

Wingate is 131-7 overall since the start of the 2007 season, good for a .949 winning percentage which also leads all of Division II. The Bulldogs have topped the 30-win mark for the fourth straight season. Wingate's four seniors went 113-4 in regular season play during their careers. The 'Dogs went undefeated in SAC play for the fourth consecutive year, pushing the conference winning streak to 64 matches.

The 25th-ranked Bulldogs will take on number nine University of Central Missouri Thursday night in the national quarter-finals at 7:30 p.m. The winner advances to the Final Four to take on the winner of the University of Tampa-Grand Valley State (Mich.) University match. That national semi-final contest will take place Friday at 5:30 p.m. The national championship match is Saturday, Dec. 4 at 4 p.m. The national tournament is part of the NCAA Division II fall sports festival in Louisville, Ky.