Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University junior middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) had 11 kills, three blocks, three digs and two aces to lead the Bulldogs to a 3-0 South Atlantic Conference volleyball win over the Tornados of Brevard College Wednesday night in Cuddy Arena. The Bulldogs won by scores of 25-13, 25-9 and 25-19 to improve to 15-1 overall and 4-0 in the SAC. Brevard falls to 7-4 overall and 0-3 in the conference. The Bulldogs have won 34 consecutive SAC matches.

Junior outside hitter Lauren Billo (Orland Park, Ill.) added seven kills and four digs for the Bulldogs, while junior middle blocker Rebecca Bloemer (Louisville, Ky.) chipped in with six kills, four aces and three blocks. Sophomore setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) handed out 24 assists, while junior setter Amanda Clark (Timberlake, N.C.) had eight assists, three digs and two kills in the third set. Sophomore libero Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) collected a match-high 14 digs, while senior defensive specialist Brittany Horner (Roxboro, N.C.) added 11 digs.

Sophomore middle hitter Jordei Osby (Goldsboro, N.C.) led the Brevard attack with four kills and five blocks, while sophomore outside hitter Chelsea Larsen (Greer, S.C.) added four kills and six digs. Freshman setter Bethany Stevenson (Prattville, Ala.) had 11 assists, while junior libero Rebecca Schoonover (Palm City, Fla.) had 13 digs.

A block from Gale and Billo, followed by a Billo kill capped a 4-0 run that put the Bulldogs on top 15-6 in the first set. Back-to-back aces from Willis gave Wingate a 19-8 advantage. The lead would remain in double digits the rest of the way, as Gale finished the set with a kill. Wingate hit .367 in the first set.

Consecutive kills from Gale, followed by back-to-back kills from sophomore outside hitter Janice Ehorn (Orange, Conn.) gave the Bulldogs a 13-4 lead in the second set. Brevard answered with a 4-0 run, getting three blocks from Osby in the spurt.

Wingate responded by scoring 17 of the final 18 points in the set. Gale got it started with a kill, while also racking up two aces in the stretch. Billo also had a pair of kills in the spurt while the Bulldogs capped the set on a Brevard error.

An ace from Clark, followed by a kill from Ehorn put Wingate on top 14-10 in the final frame. A kill from Larsen, followed by a Bulldog error cut the lead to three at 16-13. Kills from Clark and senior outside hitter Jacki Emmenecker (Perrysburg, Ohio), along with an ace from Horner, gave the Bulldogs a 21-14 lead. The lead would not go below five the rest of the way as Bloemer finished the match with a kill.

Wingate hit .258 for the match, racking up 40 kills against 16 errors in 93 attacks. The Tornados had 16 kills and 18 errors in 91 attacks for a hitting percentage of negative .022. It is the 10th time this season the Bulldogs have held their opponents to a hitting percentage below .100. Wingate was one shy of a season-high with 11 aces, led by Bloemer’s four.

The Bulldogs return to SAC action Saturday, hosting Lenoir-Rhyne University at 5 p.m. Brevard returns to the court Friday, hosting Queens University of Charlotte at 6:30 p.m.

(Wingate University assistant sports information director Hugh Patton wrote this article. Patton is a 2006 Wingate grad with a B.A. degree in Communication Studies.)