Charlotte, N.C.----Three Wingate University volleyball players occupy half of the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association’s 2009 All-State Volleyball Team, college division, announced Monday afternoon. Junior middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas), junior outside hitter Lauren Billo (Orland Park, Ill.) and sophomore setter Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) have been named to the team.

Gale continues to rack up the honors and awards. The 2009 South Atlantic Conference and Southeast Region Player of the Year earned first team All-American honors from Daktronics and third team honors from the AVCA. The three-time first team All-SAC selection led the league with 3.81 kills per set and ranked second with a .298 hitting percentage.

Gale’s 476 kills in the 2009 season rank second on Wingate’s all-time single-season charts, while her 1,205 career kills puts her third on the all-time list. She had at least 10 kills 26 times in Wingate’s 38 matches, while notching 10 double-doubles on the year. She led the Bulldogs with 94 blocks on the season, while also collecting 43 aces. Gale had at least nine kills in Wingate’s last 15 matches.

A first team All-SAC and All-Region selection, Billo led the South Atlantic Conference with a .317 hitting percentage. She ranked second in the league with 3.52 kills per set. Billo notched double-digit kills in 26 matches for the Bulldogs, while hitting .300 or better 22 times. She had 21 kills and a .486 hitting percentage in the 3-0 win over Limestone. Billo collected 17 kills in the 3-2 win over Flagler, while notching 14 kills and a .387 hitting percentage in the sweep over Catawba.

Billo had 12 kills and 10 digs in the 3-0 win at Lander. She had 17 kills in the 3-2 regular season win over Carson-Newman, then 18 kills against only one error in the SAC tournament win over Brevard. Billo notched a career-high 22 kills, while hitting .391 in the 3-1 win over Catawba in the Food Lion SAC tournament semifinals. She had 15 kills with a .423 hitting percentage in the regional semi-final victory over Carson-Newman.

A two-time All-SAC and All-Region selection, Willis led the SAC with 9.96 assists per set. She was fourth on the team with 2.50 digs per set. Willis was also third on the team with 35 aces on the year, while leading the team with 13 double-doubles in the 2009 season. Willis had 38 assists and 10 digs in the 3-0 win over Anderson. She had 30 assists, nine digs and six kills in the sweep over USC Aiken.

Willis notched 41 assists, 10 digs and five kills against Lenoir-Rhyne. She had 38 assists, 11 digs and seven kills in the 3-1 win at Carson-Newman. Willis racked up 46 assists and 11 digs in the three-set win over Catawba. She had 44 assists and 12 digs in the 3-1 win at LMU.

The Bulldogs have won 100 out of their last 106 matches dating back to the 2007 season. Wingate captured its fourth consecutive Food Lion SAC tournament title in 2009. The Bulldogs have now won 12 straight SAC tournament contests. The Bulldogs topped the 30-win mark for the third consecutive year, collecting a school-best 36 victories while going 36-2 overall. Wingate also became the first team in South Atlantic Conference history to earn an AVCA top 25 ranking, finishing the regular season ranked 24th.

Wingate was the top team in the Southeast Region all year, hosting the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional tournament for the second consecutive season. The Bulldogs have won 79 of their last 81 regular season matches. Wingate has won 46 consecutive SAC contests, while winning the regular season and Food Lion SAC tournament title four years in a row.

About NCCSIA

Founded in 2002, NCCSIA is comprised of sports information professionals from NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA and independent institutions from the state of North Carolina. The organization seeks to promote collegiate athletics and student-athletes at all schools. Membership is open to anyone affiliated with a college, university or conference located in North Carolina, and whose area of responsibility lies within sports information.

NCSSIA selects All-State teams for men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, softball and baseball on the College (Division II, III, NAIA) and University (Division I) levels. More than 650 student-athletes have been recognized on NCCSIA All-State teams since 2003.

About 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 19 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.)