Rock Hill, S.C.----Wingate University junior middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) is this week’s South Atlantic Conference volleyball Player of the Week, league officials announced Monday. Gale helped lead the Bulldogs to a pair of SAC victories during the week as Wingate improved to 16-1 overall and 5-0 in the SAC.

The Bulldogs have now won 35 consecutive SAC matches; Wingate has not dropped a set in conference play this season. For Gale, it marks the second time this season and the sixth time in her career she has been named the league’s Player of the Week.

Gale averaged 3.67 kills per set, while hitting .400 for the week. She also collected 1.50 digs and 0.67 blocks per set to go along with two aces. Gale had 11 kills, three blocks and three aces, while hitting .381 in the 3-0 win over Brevard College. She added 11 kills and six digs with a .417 hitting percentage in the 3-0 win over Lenoir-Rhyne University on Saturday.

On the season, Gale is second in the SAC with 3.26 kills per set, trailing only junior teammate Lauren Billo (Orland, Ill.). Gale is third in the league with a .327 hitting percentage and eighth with 0.42 aces per set. She also leads the Bulldogs with 37 blocks on the year.

Wingate has a pair of matches this week. The Bulldogs host USC Aiken Tuesday at 7 p.m. in a key NCAA Division II Southeast Region matchup, as they look to remain perfect against region opponents this season. Wingate is currently 13-0 against Southeast Region opposition this year, including four victories over 2008 NCAA tournament participants. The Bulldogs return to conference action Saturday, traveling to Newberry College for a 1:30 start.

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, international study, faith development, career discovery and community service.

Wingate offers 40 undergraduate majors in arts and sciences, business, education, fine arts, music and sport sciences. It also offers graduate degrees in business, education, physical education, physician assistant studies, 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.

(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.)