Rock Hill, S.C.----Wingate University junior middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) has been named this week’s South Atlantic Conference Volleyball Player of the Week, league officials announced Monday. Gale wins the award for the third time this year and the seventh time in her career.

Gale averaged 4.56 kills, 2.33 digs and 0.78 blocks per set, leading the Bulldogs to a pair of key SAC road wins. Gale had 17 kills, seven digs and five blocks in the 3-1 win at Carson-Newman College Friday. She followed that performance by racking up a career-high 24 kills to go along with 14 digs and two blocks in the 3-2 win at Lincoln Memorial University.

Gale hit .283 for the week as the Bulldogs improve to 20-1 overall and 8-0 in the SAC. Wingate has now won 38 consecutive SAC matches and 84 of 89 overall dating back to the beginning of the 2007 season. Gale leads the league with 3.54 kills per set while ranking second with a .316 hitting percentage.

The Bulldogs have four home matches this week. The first home contest is Tuesday night, when Wingate hosts Catawba College at 7 p.m. Wingate entertains Tusculum College Friday night at 7 p.m., then takes on Mars Hill College Saturday at 5 p.m. The Bulldogs finish the week against Pfeiffer University Sunday at 7 p.m. The Wingate-Pfeiffer match will be played at Carolina Courts in Indian Trail.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a private four-year co-educational institution of 2,159 students offering active learning opportunities through personalized instruction, world travel, career discovery and community service.

Wingate offers more than 40 undergraduate majors in arts and sciences, business, communication, education, fine arts, music and sport sciences. It also offers graduate degrees in business, education, physician assistant studies and sport administration. In addition, the school awards the doctor of pharmacy and the doctor of education degrees.

Bulldog student-athletes compete in 17 NCAA Division II sports. Wingate University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past three years.



Wingate University is ranked number three among NCAA Division II Academic All-America® producing schools in the 2000’s with 34 honorees during this millennium. Only Pittsburg State (Kan.) University and Truman State (Mo.) University have produced more Academic All-America® honorees during this time period. Wingate’s 43 Academic All-America® honorees (lifetime) is tops among all SAC schools.