Rock Hill, S.C.----Wingate University sophomore setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) has been named the South Atlantic Conference Specialist of the Week, officials announced Monday. Willis averaged 12.30 assists per set on the week, to go along with 2.50 digs and 1.20 kills per set. Thanks to the efforts of Willis and her teammates, the Bulldogs (24-1 overall, 1-0 SAC) hit an impressive .317 in four victories.

Willis had 46 assists and 11 digs in the sweep over Catawba Tuesday. She had 29 assists and eight digs in the 3-0 win over Tusculum. Willis collected 39 assists, six kills, five digs and three aces against Pfeiffer Sunday, leading the Bulldogs to a season-best .426 hitting percentage.

A graduate of Enloe High School, Willis leads the SAC with 10.24 assists per set on the year. She is second on the team with 2.62 digs per set and 0.38 aces per set. The Freshman of the Year in the SAC and in the Southeast Region last year, Willis led the SAC with 9.80 assists per set in 2008.

Wingate is the number one ranked team in the Southeast Region, riding a 12-match winning streak. The Bulldogs have also won 41 consecutive conference matches and 68 of their last 70 regular season contests. They are 88-5 overall dating back to the beginning of the 2007 season, good for a .946 winning percentage which leads all of NCAA Division II.

Wingate has three matches this week. The Bulldogs travel to Brevard Wednesday night for a 7 p.m. match. Wingate visits Lander for a pair of matches Saturday. The Bulldogs take on host Lander at 11 a.m. and then face Francis Marion at 5 p.m. The Bulldogs return home Saturday, October 31, hosting Newberry at 5 p.m.

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.

(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.)