Friday, September 14, 2007

WINGATE EDGES TUSCULUM 3-2 IN SAC OPENER

WINGATE, N.C. --- The Wingate University volleyball team outlasted visiting Tusculum College in a five-game thriller 3-2 Friday night in the South Atlantic Conference opener for both teams. The Bulldogs won the match by scores of 30-28, 27-30, 32-30, 24-30, 15-11.

Wingate senior setter Melissa DeLuca (Bahama, N.C.) had 53 assists, 16 digs, seven kills and a .308 hitting percentage to lead the Bulldogs.

Wingate improves to 11-1 overall and 1-0 in the league. Tusculum falls to 8-7 overall, 0-1 in the SAC while having its four-match winning streak halted.

Wingate prevailed despite the fact the Bulldogs hit only .140 for the evening. Bulldog freshman middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) collected a career-high 19 kills and added a team-high four blocks. Gale compiled a .378 hitting percentage (19 kills, five errors and 37 total attacks). She was the only Bulldog hitter to hit over .139 on the night.

Tusculum junior middle blocker Kelsey Hayden (Colorado Springs, Colo.) exploded for eight kills and 12 blocks, both career-highs. Hayden hit .412 for the five-game thriller (eight kills, one error, 17 total attacks). Pioneer senior outside hitter Vivian Lacy (Palm Bay, Fla.) had 16 kills, 12 digs and six blocks. TC freshman outside hitter Katie Luebke (Bellefontaine, Ohio) added 11 kills and four blocks.

In the final stanza, Wingate took a 3-2 lead on a Tusculum ball-handling error. The Bulldogs pushed the advantage to 10-4 on a Pioneer attack error. Back-to-back service aces by senior libero Alexis Rowles (Simpsonville, S.C.) and a Lacy kill cut the margin to 11-9, but the visitors from Greeneville, Tenn. would get no closer. Tusculum hit .000 in game five (six kills, six errors, 20 total attacks).

Tusculum took the lead for good at 3-2 in game four. The Bulldogs hit only .082 in the fourth frame (16 kills, 12 errors, 49 total attacks). The Pioneers took a 17-11 lead on a Wingate attack error. The hosts cut the margin to 19-18, but could get no closer.

In game three, the two teams battled back-and-forth the entire frame. The contest saw 16 ties and nine lead changes in the third game. Tusculum turned a 26-26 game into a 29-26 advantage thanks to a Wingate ball-handling error and back-to-back kills by junior outside hitter Holli Cadenhead (Van Vleck, Texas) and Lacy.

Bulldog freshman outside hitter Heather Myklebust (Sugar Land, Texas) exploded at this point, sandwiching three kills around a Tusculum attack error to give the Bulldogs a 30-29 edge. A kill by TC senior setter Mariana Rezende (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) tied the game at 30-30. DeLuca and freshman middle blocker Rebecca Bloemer (Louisville, Ky.) finished the game with consecutive kills to give Wingate the 32-30 victory.

In game two, Tusculum took the lead for good at 17-16 on a Wingate attack error. The Pioneers utilized a balanced attack in the second game, Lacy, Hayden and Luebke contributed three kills each in the stanza. The Bulldogs hit only .067 (15 kills, 12 errors, 45 total attacks) in the second game.

In the opening game, Wingate prevailed 30-28 thanks to 13 assists, four service aces and two digs by DeLuca. The first game was also tight, with eight ties and two lead changes. Myklebust and Gale had four kills for the Bulldogs, helping the hosts counter a .333 first game team hitting percentage by the Pioneers.

Rezende had 45 assists, 12 digs and six kills for Tusculum. The senior setter helped the Pioneers out-hit Wingate .235 to .140. For the Bulldogs, four players collected double-digit kills. In addition to Gale's match-high 19, Myklebust, senior outside hitter Rachelle Rostas (Charlotte, N.C.) and Bloemer also reached 10-plus kills. Myklebust claimed 13, Rostas notched 11 and Bloemer contributed 10.

- TC -