Lauren Billo leads Bulldogs past Eagles 3-0; Wingate will play for Food Lion SAC title Sunday

Salisbury, N.C.----Wingate University senior outside hitter Lauren Billo (Orland Park, Ill.) had 16 kills to lead the top-seeded Bulldogs past the fourth-seeded Carson-Newman College Eagles in the semi-finals of the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference tournament Saturday afternoon in Goodman Gymnasium on the campus of Catawba College. The Bulldogs win their 25th consecutive match and improve to 27-1 overall. Carson-Newman falls to 19-10 overall.
           
The Bulldogs advance to the Food Lion SAC championship match for the seventh time in eight seasons. Wingate has won four consecutive Food Lion SAC tournament titles. The ‘Dogs are 20-2 in the tournament since 2003, winning five crowns. Wingate is now 127-7 overall since the start of the 2007 season, good for a .948 winning percentage which leads all of Division II.
           
Billo hit .316 on the afternoon, while adding six digs. Senior middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) contributed 12 kills and 13 digs for the Bulldogs. Freshman outside hitter Cory McGowan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) added seven kills and 15 digs. Junior setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) had 37 assists and 11 digs, while junior libero Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) collected 12 digs.
           
“We obviously played at a much higher level today than we did in the quarter-finals,” head coach Shelton Collier says. “We played with much confidence…and really bounced back well after nearly being eliminated in the first round Friday. We will be taking some good momentum into the championship match tomorrow.”

            Senior outside hitter Carly Mozgai (Greensboro, N.C.) had 10 kills to lead the Carson-Newman attack. Freshman outside hitter Lindsey Bryant (Gainesville, Ga.) added nine kills, while junior outside hitter Carly Swisher (Fort Collins, Colo.) contributed eight kills. Senior setter Lara McDonald (Salem, Va.) handed out 28 assists, while sophomore libero Angelle Hayes (Brentwood, Tenn.) notched 14 digs.

            Kills by McGowan and Willis gave the ‘Dogs a 12-5 lead in the opening set. A kill from sophomore middle blocker Grace Krauser (Louisville, Ky.) made it 17-9. A Mozgai kill, followed by a block from Bryant, cut the lead to five at 20-15. Kills from Gale and Krauser pushed the lead back to seven at 23-16. McGowan capped the opening frame with a kill.

            Three McGowan kills gave Wingate a 13-7 lead in the second set. The Eagles fought back, cutting the lead to one at 16-15 on kills from Swisher and Mozgai. Back-to-back Willis kills pushed Wingate’s lead back to three at 18-15. Carson-Newman tied the set at 20 on an ace from Mozgai. The ‘Dogs took a 22-21 lead on a Billo kill. The Bulldogs would then turn to their All-American Gale, who tallied three consecutive kills to finish the second frame.

            A 5-0 run put the Bulldogs on top 17-10 in the third set. Gale had a kill and a block in the spurt. A Mozgai kill, followed by a block from Bryant, cut Wingate’s lead to 21-16. Junior outside hitter Janice Ehorn (Orange, Conn.) gave the ‘Dogs a 23-17 advantage with a kill. Senior middle blocker Rebecca Bloemer (Louisville, Ky.) concluded the match with a kill.

The Bulldogs hit .351 for the match, with 56 kills and 10 errors in 131 attacks. Carson-Newman had 38 kills and 13 errors in 122 attacks, good for a .205 hitting percentage.

Wingate will look to claim its fifth consecutive Food Lion SAC tournament title Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. The Bulldogs will face Tusculum College in the title tilt. The Pioneers prevailed 3-2 over Lincoln Memorial University Saturday.
          
(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.)