Indianapolis, Ind.----The Wingate University Bulldog volleyball team remains the number one team in the Southeast Region. The third regional poll of the season was released Wednesday afternoon. The Bulldogs are 23-1 overall and 16-0 in the SAC. Wingate has won 21 straight matches and leads the nation with a .958 winning percentage. The ‘Dogs have been the top team in every Southeast Region poll since 2008.
Seven South Atlantic Conference schools are in the top 10 in this week’s poll. Defending Southeast Region champion Flagler (Fla.) College is second in this week’s poll, followed by SAC schools Tusculum College and Lincoln Memorial University. The University of Montevallo (Ala.) is fifth, followed by Carson-Newman College, Catawba College and Lees-McRae College. Anderson (S.C.) University is ninth in the poll, while Lenoir-Rhyne University rounds out the top 10.
The Bulldogs clinched their fifth consecutive regular season SAC title Friday night, sweeping the Bears of Lenoir-Rhyne University. Redshirt freshman middle blocker Anna Hilton (Hickory, N.C.) had 12 kills in 18 swings for a .556 hitting percentage to lead the Wingate attack. Senior middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) added 11 kills, 12 digs and five blocks. Senior setter Amanda Clark (Timberlake, N.C.) had 30 assists and seven digs, while freshman libero Rianne Lang (Littleton, Colo.) contributed 12 digs.
Wingate’s balanced attack is anchored by four players averaging at least 2.3 kills per set. The Bulldogs are averaging 14.89 kills per set as a team, leading the SAC and ranking third nationally. Wingate also leads the league and is fourth in the nation with 13.91 assists per set. The Bulldogs are hitting a league-best .278 on the year, ranking in the top 15 nationally.
Wingate’s 23-1 overall record is good for a .958 winning percentage, leads the nation. The Bulldogs are 123-7 overall since the start of the 2007 season, leading all of Division II with a .946 winning percentage. The ‘Dogs led the nation in winning percentage in 2007; they are the only team that has been ranked in the top three in the category each of the last three years.
The Bulldogs are currently riding a SAC record 62-match conference winning streak, which started in the beginning of the 2007 season. Wingate has won 44 consecutive conference home matches and 30 straight conference road contests. The Bulldogs have also collected 42 consecutive regular season home wins overall and have won 59 of 60 regular season home contests since the 2007 season. Wingate has had a winning streak of at least 20 matches in each of the last four seasons.
Gale leads Wingate and ranks fourth in the SAC with 3.30 kills per set. She leads the league with a .386 hitting percentage, while also in the top five in the league in blocks and aces. The 2009 first team All-American has 1,449 career kills, ranking second on Wingate’s all-time charts. McGowan is second on the team and 10th in the league with 2.90 kills per set. She is also second on the team with 2.59 digs per set and fourth with 33 blocks. Billo is third on the team with 2.73 kills per set, while ranking sixth in the SAC with a .286 hitting percentage. Hilton is averaging 2.33 kills per set; she is third in the conference with a .344 hitting percentage.
Libero Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) leads the Bulldogs with 4.39 digs per set. The two-time All-Region performer and 2009 honorable mention All-American set the single-season record with 633 digs in 2009, while the junior is fifth on Wingate’s all-time list with 1,333 digs. Malone’s 4.56 career digs per set is also a school record. Junior setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) leads the ‘Dogs with 6.44 assists per set. She is third with 2.58 digs per set. Her 2,762 career assists rank fourth on Wingate’s all-time list. Clark is right behind Willis with 6.00 assists per set on the season.
Wingate will finish up its regular season on the road this weekend. The ‘Dogs will play at Newberry College Friday at 7 p.m., then travel to Anderson Saturday for a 2 p.m. start. The Bulldogs will be the number one seed in next week’s Food Lion SAC tournament, which will take place at Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C. Wingate will look to win its fifth consecutive Food Lion SAC tournament title.
(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.)
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