Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University sophomore libero
Maggie Malone (Chicago, Ill.) enjoyed a successful Sunday afternoon as the Bulldogs became the first volleyball team in SAC history to win four consecutive Food Lion SAC Titles. The second team all-conference selection garnered MVP honors in the tournament, while also setting a school record and hitting a career milestone.
Malone collected 19 digs Sunday afternoon, which put her over the 1,000 dig mark for her career. She also pushed her season total to 574 digs, which is a new single season record at Wingate. The 2008 All-Region selection has 1,015 digs in her two-year Bulldog career. Malone’s 4.91 digs per set this year is also a school record, while her 4.43 digs per set in her career ranks third on Wingate’s all-time charts.
“Maggie has truly been one of our most valuable players in every match we have played for two years," Wingate head coach
Shelton Collier says. “Her consistency, leadership, skill, and durability in both practices and matches have been key reasons why our team has had so much success.”
Malone has anchored number 24 Wingate’s defense this season, which leads the SAC and ranks fourth nationally with 18.36 digs per set. The Bulldogs also lead the conference with an opponents’ hitting percentage of .128. Malone set a pair of Wingate records earlier this year, notching 41 digs in the 3-2 win at Lincoln Memorial. She had 30 digs in the 3-0 win over Newberry, the most digs in a three-set match in school history.
The Bulldogs are 34-1 overall, riding a 22-match winning streak. The top team in the Southeast Region, Wingate is hosting the NCAA Southeast Regional Tournament this weekend in Cuddy Arena. The Bulldogs play in the final game Friday, taking on Tusculum College at 7:30 p.m.
(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.)