Wingate's Bloemer, Malone and McGowan named to All-Southeast Region tournament team

Wingate, N.C.----Three Bulldogs earned All-NCAA Division II Southeast Region Tournament honors for guiding the Wingate University volleyball team to its first-ever regional title Sunday night. Senior middle blocker Rebecca Bloemer (Louisville, Ky.), junior libero Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) and freshman outside hitter Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) were named to the team, officials announced Sunday night.
           
Bloemer led the Bulldogs with 3.10 kills per set during the tournament, while ranking third in the tournament with a .433 hitting percentage. She had 31 kills against only five errors in 60 attacks on the weekend. Bloemer added nine blocks on the weekend, helping the Bulldogs pile up a tournament-best 3.50 blocks per set.

Bloemer’s best performance came in the semifinals, when she racked up 17 kills in 25 swings for a .640 hitting percentage to lead Wingate past the University of Montevallo and into the regional finals. She had 10 kills and a .429 hitting percentage in the quarterfinal victory over Lees-McRae College.
           
McGowan finished second on the team and ninth in the tournament with 3.00 kills per set. The All-SAC Freshman honoree added 4.40 digs per set on the weekend, ranking sixth in the tournament. Her 1.00 blocks per set were good for eighth in the tournament. McGowan had double-doubles in the first two rounds. She had 12 kills and 11 digs against Lees-McRae, followed by a 12-kill, 18-dig performance against Montevallo. McGowan tied for a team-high with 15 digs in the championship match victory over Flagler College Sunday, while adding six kills and three blocks.
           
Malone finished fourth in the tournament with 5.30 digs per set. The 2009 honorable mention All-American anchored Wingate’s backline defense, as the Bulldogs led the tournament with an opponents’ hitting percentage of .118. She had 28 digs in the semi-final win over Montevallo. Malone collected 15 digs in the championship match victory over Flagler. She helped the Wingate defense hold Flagler to a hitting percentage of .057, which is a season-low offensive output for the Saints.
           
The first volleyball team in SAC history to reach the Elite Eight, the 25th-ranked Bulldogs will take on the University of Central Missouri in the national quarterfinals Thursday, Dec. 2 (match time TBA). Wingate’s current 29-match winning streak is the longest in the nation. The Bulldogs are 31-1 overall, good for a .969 winning percentage which leads the nation. Wingate’s 131-7 overall record since the 2007 season is good for a .949 winning percentage, which also leads all of Division II.