Wingate To Face Nova Southeastern In NCAA Volleyball Playoffs

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The South Atlantic Conference regular season and tournament champion Wingate University Bulldogs will take on the Sharks of Nova Southeastern University Thursday at 12 noon in the 2007 NCAA Division II South Regional volleyball tournament. The Bulldogs are 33-1 on the season, leading the nation in winning percentage and riding a 24-match winning streak.

Wingate will be the number six seed in the region. The Sharks are 25-9 overall and the number three seed. The Bulldogs are making their fourth appearance in the NCAA post-season in the last five years. The 2007 season marks the first-ever NCAA appearance for Nova Southeastern.

The Bulldogs are led by a trio of first-team all-SAC performers. Senior setter Melissa DeLuca (Bahama, N.C.) led the South Atlantic Conference with 13.05 assists per game. For the second year in a row, DeLuca was the Most Valuable Player of the Food Lion SAC Tournament.

In Wingate's final regular season match against Lincoln Memorial, DeLuca became Wingate's all-time leader in assists. Her 13.05 assists per game this season is a school record, breaking her own record from last season.

Freshman middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) was eighth in the conference with 3.46 kills per game, while ranking fifth with a .313 hitting percentage. Gale also ranked third in blocks and aces per game. She was an all-tournament selection and the 2007 SAC Freshman of the Year.

Fellow freshman Rebecca Bloemer (Louisville, Ky.) was ninth in the league with 3.39 kills per game, while ranking second with a .326 hitting percentage. Bloemer was Wingate's third first team All-SAC performer. She joined DeLuca and Gale on the all-tournament team at the SAC post-season event.

Second team All-SAC selection Kathryn Reddick (Franklinton, N.C.) was also second in the conference with a .326 hitting percentage. The junior outside hitter averaged 2.60 kills per game. She had 21 kills and 12 blocks in the conference tournament.

As a team, Wingate led the SAC in hitting percentage, opponents hitting percentage, kills, assists and aces per game. The Bulldogs won 101 of their 116 games during the season; they lost game one only once all year. Wingate had only three matches all season go five games. The Bulldogs won two of the three five-game marathons.

The Sharks are led by Melinda Gorman (Sarasota, Fla.), who is averaging 3.02 kills per game. Gorman ranks third in the Sunshine State Conference with 1.13 blocks per game. Paola Ruiz (Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico) is second in the SSC with 2.72 kills per game, while Aley Tallman (Wichita, Kan.) is right behind her with 2.69 kills per game. Valia Petrova (Sofia, Bulgaria) leads the team with 10.82 assists per game.

Nova Southeastern finished the regular season by knocking off number 11 Florida Southern for the second time this year. Of the eight teams in the regional, six hail from the Sunshine State Conference. The Sharks went 11-5 in the league.

The SSC group is led by Tampa, who will be hosting the regional tournament. They are ranked second in the nation with a 28-2 overall record. The two non-SSC teams are Wingate (number six seed) and USC Aiken (number eight seed). The Pacers are the one team that beat the Bulldogs in the regular season; Wingate would later avenge that loss at home in a three-game sweep.

The Wingate University Sports Network will partner with Red Zone Media to cover the Bulldogs in the NCAA Division II South Regional tournament. For the fourth year in a row, Wingate athletic events can be heard on Red Zone Media at the following Internet address: http://www.redzonemedia.com/

Recent Wingate graduate Ryan Brown (class of 2006) will provide the play-by-play for SAC tournament volleyball broadcasts. Brown and the Network have covered nine regular season Bulldog volleyball contests, as well as the 2007 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference tournament quarter-finals and semi-finals.

Thursday, November 15, 2007
Opening Round
12 p.m. #3 Nova Southeastern vs. #6 Wingate
2:30p.m. #2 Florida Southern vs. #7 Saint Leo
5 p.m. #4 Eckerd vs. #5 Lynn
7:30 p.m. #1 Tampa vs. #8 USC Aiken

Friday, November 16, 2007
Semi-finals:
5 p.m. Game One Winner vs. Game Two Winner
7:30 p.m. Game Three Winner vs. Game Four Winner

Saturday, November 17, 2007
7 p.m. South Region Championship