Volleyball Falls at No. 9 Wingate
Mars Hill’s volleyball team lost on the road at no. 9 Wingate University, 3-1 Saturday afternoon in Cuddy Arena.
WINGATE, N.C. – Mars Hill's volleyball team lost on the road at no. 9 Wingate University, 3-1 Saturday afternoon in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-16, 25-23, 23-25 and 25-12 to improve to 26-2 overall and 22-0 in the SAC. Mars Hill fell to 16-11 overall and 13-9 in the conference.
Anna Hilton had 16 kills, 16 digs and five assists to lead the Wingate attack, hitting .325. Lexi Potter had 15 kills and six blocks, hitting .429. Abby Saehler added eight kills, while Susie Murach had six kills and 13 digs. Alison Cooke had 30 assists, 12 digs, four blocks and three kills in three sets, while Stephanie Tassone had 19 digs.
Marissa Wixson had 11 kills and 10 digs to lead the Mars Hill attack. Toni Cole added eight kills, while MaryKate Griffin had seven kills. Hannah Wilson handed out 17 assists, while Maggie Murphy had 23 digs.
Kills from Hilton and Murach gave the 'Dogs a 12-9 advantage. A block from Wixson cut the lead to two at 14-12, but a 6-0 run gave the 'Dogs a 20-12 lead. Potter had two kills and a block in the flurry. Kills from Potter, Saehler and Rachael Cecka made it 24-16. Shelby Nassar finished the set with an ace.
The second set stayed tight throughout, featuring 12 ties and eight lead changes. A Cole kill and Wixson ace gave the Lions a 17-14 advantage. A Cooke kill cut the lead to two at 18-16, but a Griffin kill made it 19-16. The 'Dogs answered with a 4-0 run to take a 20-19 lead, getting three kills and a block from Murach in the spurt. Mars Hill took a 22-21 lead on a kill from Amber McClure but a Hilton kill and Potter block put Wingate on top 23-22. A Cole kill tied it, but Hilton answered with another kill to give the 'Dogs set point. Potter capped the frame with a kill.
Back-to-back Hilton kills gave Wingate an 18-10 lead in the third set. Mars Hill had the response, using a 9-1 run to tie it at 19. Cole had three kills and an ace in the spurt. Back-to-back Wingate errors made it 22-20, but an MHU error and kill from Allison Rickher tied it at 22. A kill from Regan Macomson, followed by a Wingate error gave the Lions a 24-22 lead. Rickher cut the lead to one with a kill, but a Victoria Kaiser capped the set.
The Bulldogs used a 7-0 run to take a 9-3 lead in the fourth frame. Potter had two kills and two blocks in the early spurt. A block and kill from Murach made it 13-5. The 'Dogs pushed the lead to double figures when a Potter kill made it 20-10. Two more Potter kills made it 23-11, while a Mars Hill error made it 24-12. Wingate won the match on a Mars Hill error. The 'dogs hit .343 in the fourth frame, with 15 kills and just three errors.
Wingate hit .235 on the match, with 63 kills and 24 errors in 166 attacks. Mars Hill had 37 kills and 21 errors in 160 attacks, hitting .100. Potter's six blocks were a match high, while Wixson led the Lions with four.
The Bulldogs are the top seed in the SAC Tournament next Wingate. The 'Dogs open the tournament Friday, taking on eighth-seeded Newberry at 12 p.m. Mars Hill is the seventh seed in the tournament and will take on second-seeded Tusculum at 5 p.m. The winner of the Wingate-Newberry match will face the winner of the Queens-LMU match. The SAC Tournament will be held at Newberry College.
