October 17, 2009

WINGATE, N.C. - The Wingate University Bulldogs swept a South Atlantic Conference volleyball match over the Lions of Mars Hill College 3-0 Saturday evening in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-15, 25-19, and 25-5 to improve to 23-1 overall and 11-0 in the SAC. The Lions fall to 9-11 overall and 2-9 in the conference.

Junior outside hitter Lauren Billo (Orland Park, Ill.) led the way with 10 kills in only two sets. Freshman middle blocker Grace Krauser (Louisville, Ky.) added nine kills with a .400 hitting percentage. Seniors Megan McVicker (Mercer, Pa.) and Jacki Emmenecker (Perrysburg, Ohio) added six kills each and both hit over .400 for the match. Junior setter Amanda Clark (Timberlake, N.C.) handed out 29 assists, while sophomore libero Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) racked up a match-high 16 digs.

Sophomore outside hitter Laura Ann Huskey (Hendersonville, N.C.) led the Mars Hill attack with six kills. Sophomore middle blocker Traci Teague (Ramseur, N.C.) and sophomore outside hitter Evie Tafunai (Edwardsburg, Mich.) added five kills each. Junior setter Sarah Paquette (Swannanoa, N.C.) handed out 10 assists, while freshman libero Kelsi Flora (Mishawaka, Ind.) led the Lions with eight digs.

The Bulldogs used a 10-0 run in the first set to take a 14-4 lead. Billo had three kills in the spurt. Another 4-0 run made it 20-7, capped by a block from Billo and McVicker. The lead would not go below nine the rest of the way, with Wingate finishing the set on a kill from Emmenecker. The Bulldogs hit .469 in the first set, with 17 kills and only two errors.

A 5-0 run put Wingate on top 12-4 in the second set. Billo had a kill and two aces in the stretch. Back-to-back Billo kills made it 20-9. The Lions cut the lead to 22-16 on a kill from Huskey, followed by a block from Teague and Huskey. A kill from sophomore outside hitter Janice Ehorn (Orange, Conn.) made it 24-18. The Bulldogs capped the set on a Mars Hill error.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 19-3 lead in the final set. Krauser had four kills to key the run, while Emmenecker and Ehorn added three kills each. A kill from McVicker made it 24-5, Clark and McVicker finished the match with a block. Wingate hit .591 in the final set, while holding Mars Hill to -.192. The Bulldogs had 13 kills and zero errors in the final frame.

The Bulldogs hit .382 on the afternoon, with 45 kills against 11 errors in 89 attacks. The Lions hit .047 for the match, with 21 kills against 17 errors in 86 attacks. The Bulldogs had seven aces on the day, led by Clark with three and Billo with two.

Boxscore...

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