Wingate has now won 22 straight matches this season and 63 consecutive regular season SAC matches, dating back to the 2007 season. The Bulldogs clinch their fifth consecutive SAC regular season title.
The Bulldogs were without three key starters Friday night. Senior middle blocker Rebecca Bloemer (Louisville, Ky.) piled up 15 kills, 12 digs, six assists and two blocks. Freshman outside hitter Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added 12 kills and 13 digs. Junior setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) had a season high 50 assists to go along with 11 digs and four blocks, while Gale notched her eighth double-double of the year by contributing 12 digs to go along with her team-high 15 kills.
Freshman outside hitter Samantha Parrish (Angola, Ind.) led the Newberry attack with a match-high 15 kills and 19 digs. Senior outside hitter Kara Harris (Grandview, Texas) added 13 kills and nine digs for the Wolves. Senior setter Brianna Blakely (Houston, Texas) had 37 assists and 10 digs, while senior libero Nadia Andrade (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) added 17 digs.
“This was a good, hard fought win tonight,” Collier says. “We were without three starters; I am proud of our players that stepped up to help us find a way to win.”
The Bulldogs used a 5-1 run to take a 17-11 lead in the opening set. McGowan and Bloemer got it started with kills, while Gale capped the spurt with a kill. An Andrade kill cut the lead to five at 20-15. A Bloemer kill, followed by an ace from sophomore outside hitter Katie Handy (Palos Verdes, Calif.) pushed the Wingate lead to 24-16. Bloemer finished the opening frame with a kill.
Newberry used a 4-0 run to take a 17-12 lead in the second set. Parrish had two kills in the flurry, while Andrade completed the run with an ace. Kills from McGowan and Bloemer got the ‘Dogs within three at 21-18. An ace from Harris pushed the lead to 23-18. Newberry claimed the second set on a Wingate error.
The third set featured 10 ties and five lead changes. A block from Willis and Gale, along with a kill from Gale, put the Bulldogs up 18-15 in the third set. A kill from Parrish trimmed the lead to one at 19-18. Wingate reeled off three consecutive points, all on Newberry errors, to take a 22-18 lead. A Harris kill cut Wingate’s lead to 23-22. Sophomore middle blocker Grace Krauser (Louisville, Ky.) slammed home a kill to make it 24-22, while Bloemer capped the set with a kill.
The fourth and final set also saw 10 ties and five lead changes. A kill from Gale, followed by blocks from Willis, Krauser and McGowan, gave the ‘Dogs an 11-6 lead. The Wolves used a 6-0 run to take a 14-12 lead on a Harris kill. The Bulldogs gained a 15-14 advantage on kills from McGowan and Bloemer. An ace from Harris, along with a pair of Wingate errors, gave Newberry a 19-17 lead. The Bulldogs tied the score at 20 on a pair of Gale kills. The teams traded points until a pair of Newberry errors gave the ‘Dogs a 24-22 lead. Handy finished the match with her second ace of the evening.
Wingate hit .255 on the night, with 58 kills against 19 errors in 153 attacks. Newberry had 46 kills and 25 errors in 153 attacks for a .137 hitting percentage. McGowan and Handy had two aces each to lead Wingate, while Harris had two of Newberry’s five aces on the night.
The Bulldogs return to action Saturday, traveling to Anderson (S.C.) University for a 2 p.m. start. A victory would clinch Wingate’s fourth consecutive undefeated SAC regular season. The Wolves host Catawba College Saturday at 2 p.m.
(Wingate University assistant sports information director Hugh Patton wrote this article. Patton is a 2006 Wingate graduate with a B.A. degree in Communication Studies.)
No comments:
Post a Comment