Wingate Knocks Off Volleyball
Mars Hill lost a hard fought match 3-1 at No. 23 Wingate
WINGATE, N.C.- The Mars Hill volleyball team dropped a hard-fought 3-1 match at No. 23 Wingate on Saturday, falling by scores of 25-22. 25-19, 20-25 and 25-22. Wingate improves to 7-1 overall and 2-0 in the South Atlantic Conference while Mars Hill falls to 3-3 and 1-1.
Lauren Hochstetler led Mars Hill with 13 kills. Victoria Kaiser led the Lions with 24 digs, followed by Rebecca Butler with 22 and Hochstetler with 10. Andie Russell had 24 assists.
Wingate was led by Shelly Stumpff with 14 kills, followed by Abby Saehler with 13 and Katie Bludau with 10. Kimberly Hovey had a match-high 28 digs.
Mars Hill pulled out to an 8-3 lead in the first set before Wingate evened the set at 15 following a Saehler kill. Mars Hill took a 21-20 lead following a Wingate service error, but three consecutive Lion errors gave Wingate a 23-21 lead. A Mary Kate Griffin kill brought the Lions to within one, 23-22, but an error and a Wingate kill would end the set.
The Lions enjoyed a 11-9 lead in the second set following a Victoria Kaiser kill, but the Bulldogs would rally back for a 19-14 lead. Mars Hill would get no closer than four points as the Bulldogs went up 2-0.
In the third set, Mars Hill jumped out to a 14-9 lead following a Sara Fahrenbrook kill and led 21-12 following a Wingate error. The Lions led 24-17 following a Hochstetler block before a Wingate error finished the set.
Wingate held an 11-6 lead in the fourth set before the Lions cut the lead to 11-10 following a 4-0 run. After Wingate took a 16-12 lead, a Butler kill tied the set at 16. The Lions took an 18-17 lead following a Griffin kill and block, but Wingate would score five of the next seven points for a 22-19 lead. A Maddie Spurgeon block brought Mars Hill to within 24-22 before a Stumpff kill ended the match.
Mars Hill will play its 2015 home opener on Tuesday against Newberry at 7 p.m.
