No. 23 Wingate Volleyball Outlasts Carson-Newman Onslaught, 3-2, Friday Night In SAC Action

WINGATE, N.C. – The Wingate University Volleyball Team (30-1, 15-0 SAC) got all that it could handle from Carson-Newman College (19-8, 11-4 SAC) Friday night at Cuddy Arena, as the Bulldogs held on to defeat the Lady Eagles by a 3-2 (23-25, 18-25, 25-21, 25-21, 17-15) score in South Atlantic Conference action. C-N came as close as anybody has to handing Wingate its first SAC loss since the 2006 season.

"Our players executed the game plan and set themselves up for the win," said Head Coach Shannon Mincey after the match. "We had Wingate at match point in the fifth (set) but couldn't finish. They have more experience winning and tonight it really showed."

Carson-Newman took a 1-0 lead after the first set. Down 12-6, the Lady Eagles scored seven out of the next eight points to tie the score at 13 points each. The two teams traded side outs for until the score was 22-20 in favor of the Bulldogs. C-N was able to score five of the next six points to come back and take the set.

The Lady Eagles extended their lead to two sets to none as they held the Bulldogs to only 18 points in the second frame, WU’s lowest set score of the season. C-N hit .333 (14-3-33) for the set compared to Wingate’s .077 (13-10-39) performance.

The Bulldogs got on the board after winning the third set. A six-point serving run by Chelsea Cancelliere (Richboro, Pa.) gave Wingate a 7-2 lead early in the stanza. With the score 18-7, Carson-Newman stormed back, scoring 10 of the next 11 points to close the gap to 19-17. WU held on for the set victory to get back into the match.

Wingate equalized the match score at two sets apiece. The Bulldogs steadily built a lead and were up by as much as nine at 22-13 before the Lady Eagles began to claw their way back into the contest again. C-N went on an 8-2 run to close the gap to 24-21 before Wingate’s Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) tallied the deciding score of the frame.

The fifth and deciding set was one for the ages and featured nine ties and three lead changes. The Lady Eagles went up by a 4-0 score but allowed the Bulldogs to tie the set up at eight. The two teams traded points until the set was tied at 13. C-N got a kill from senior outside hitter Jessica Schachleiter (Cincinnati, Ohio) to go up 14-13, but Wingate would not go quietly into the night.

After the Bulldogs tied the score at 14 and Schachleiter tallied her third kill in four points for the Lady Eagles, Wingate was able to record three straight points to seal the set and the match.
Wingate was led offensively by Gale with a match-high 19 kills, 12 digs and six blocks. Lauren Billo (Orland Park, Ill.) and Jackie Emmenecker (Perrysburg, Ohio) recorded 17 and 12 kills, respectively as well for the Bulldogs.

Liz Willis (Raleigh, N.C.) (31 assists) and Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) (29 digs) each posted team highs as well for Wingate.

Schachleiter led the way for the Lady Eagles with 15 kills and 13 digs. Sophomore right side Nikki James (Cookeville, Tenn.) had 10 kills and six blocks while junior outside hitter Carly Mozgai (Greensboro, N.C.) tallied 10 kills as well for C-N.

Lady Eagle setters senior Stephanie Cutter (Mufreesboro, Tenn.) (23 assists and 25 digs) and junior Lara McDonald (Salem, Va.) (19 assists and 16 digs) each posted double-doubles while freshman defensive specialist MacKenzie Tyree (Daleville, Va.) had 20 digs of her own.

"We have to move on to tomorrow and play for a split on the weekend. There are a lot of good things we can take from tonight including the heart and enthusiasm we played with. There is no other team I would I rather coach. We have health and chemistry going for us to round out the year, and at this point the players are in the drivers seat for where they want to finish," concluded Mincey.

Carson-Newman will complete South Atlantic Conference Regular Season play tomorrow when it travels to Salisbury, N.C. to take on Catawba College at 5:00 p.m. With a win against the Lady Indians, C-N guarantees itself sole possession of second place and the #2 seed for the upcoming Food Lion SAC Tournament.