Volleyball | 11/19/2014 12:58:00 PM

Savannah, Ga.----The 12th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs had three players earn second team All-Region honors from Daktronics. The teams were announced Wednesday afternoon. Seniors Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) and Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) join junior Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) on the All-Region team.

The trio helped lead the Bulldogs to a 31-2 overall record, with a 21-1 mark in SAC play. Wingate won a ninth consecutive regular season SAC title to go along with a ninth straight SAC Tournament championship. The 'Dogs were ranked as high as seventh nationally during the 2014 season, the highest ranking in Wingate or SAC volleyball history. Wingate is the top seed in this week's NCAA Southeast Regional Tournament, hosting the regionals for the sixth time in seven years.

Potter earns All-Region honors for the third straight year. The only AVCA second team All-American in SAC volleyball history, Potter has also earned first team All-SAC accolades three consecutive years. She was named the SAC and Region Freshman of the Year in 2011. Potter is fourth on the team with 2.51 kills per set, hitting a career-high .383, which ranks 15th nationally. Potter led the conference in hitting percentage each of her first three seasons and is the all-time leader in career hitting percentage in Wingate volleyball history. Potter also ranks 11th in the SAC with 0.74 blocks per set.

Potter started her season with 10 kills against King, hitting .500. She hit .588 with 11 kills against Belmont Abbey, while hitting .667 with 11 kills against Catawba. Potter piled up 14 kills, five digs and five blocks at Anderson, hitting .500. She hit .455 with 12 kills at Brevard, while hitting .722 with 13 kills and three blocks against Newberry. Potter had 13 kills and a .440 hitting percentage at Mars Hill, while hitting .417 with 11 kills at Tusculum. She hit .467 with eight kills in the SAC Tournament quarterfinals, while hitting .467 with seven kills and three blocks in the semifinals.

Cooke earns All-Region honors for the second straight year. The 2013 AVCA honorable mention All-American also earned first team All-SAC honors for the second straight season, while earning MVP honors at the 2014 SAC Tournament. Cooke leads the conference with 10.48 assists per set, adding 2.58 digs per set. She runs a Wingate offense that leads the SAC with 14.2 kills per set, 13.3 assists per set and a .279 hitting percentage. The Bulldogs rank fifth nationally in hitting percentage, 12th in kills per set and 15th in assists per set. Cooke was named the SAC Specialist of the Week four times this year and nine times in her career.

Cooke started her season with 33 assists, 12 digs and four kills against King, helping the 'Dogs hit .305. She handed out 33 assists in the USC Aiken sweep as Wingate hit .405 on the day. Cooke had 37 assists and nine digs in the Erskine sweep, while handing out 37 assists to go along with five kills in the sweep against #24 Armstrong. She had 32 assists and 10 digs in the LRU sweep, handing out 36 assists in the sweep at Anderson, adding five digs and four kills. Cooke piled up 39 assists in the Tusculum sweep, helping the Bulldogs hit .366 for the match. She had 41 assists and eight digs at Brevard, while compiling 38 assists and seven digs in the sweep at Lenoir-Rhyne. Cooke racked up 50 assists and 19 digs in the win against Newberry, while handing out 52 assists against Carson-Newman. She capped the regular season with 49 assists and 14 digs at Mars Hill and 50 assists and 10 digs at Tusculum. Cooke had 28 assists, nine digs and four kills in the SAC quarterfinals, while compiling 36 assists, nine digs and four blocks in the semis. She piled up 43 assists, 14 digs, three kills and three blocks in the title match.

Stumpff earns All-Region honors for the second time in her career. The 2012 SAC and Region Freshman of the Year was a first team All-SAC selection this season, while also being named to the All-SAC Tournament team. Stumpff leads the Bulldogs and ranks third in the SAC with 3.41 kills per set, adding 2.40 digs per set while leading the league and ranking fourth nationally with 0.62 aces per set. She also ranks 13th in the league with a .255 hitting percentage. Stumpff has registered double-digit kills 21 times this year, compiling seven double-doubles.

Stumpff had 16 kills, seven digs and three aces in the win over Belmont Abbey, hitting .333. She followed an 11-kill, 12-dig effort against UNC Pembroke with 13 kills and 15 digs against No. 24 Armstrong. Stumpff hit .478 against Lenoir-Rhyne with 11 kills, nine digs and five aces. She piled up 11 kills, 16 digs, four blocks and three aces at LMU. Stumpff hit .417 with 11 kills and 16 digs at Carson-Newman, while hitting .400 with 11 kills and eight digs against Tusculum. She piled up 20 kills against Newberry to go along with 11 digs and three aces. Stumpff had 13 kills and 12 digs against LMU, while compiling 14 kills and 14 digs against Carson-Newman. She had 15 kills, three blocks and three aces at Mars Hill, while capping the regular season with 18 kills, seven digs and four aces at Tusculum, hitting .382. Stumpff had 10 kills and seven digs in the SAC semifinal sweep against Lenoir-Rhyne, while piling up 17 kills with a .300 hitting percentage in the SAC title match.

Wingate opens NCAA Tournament play Thursday night, taking on eight-seeded Erskine at 7:30 p.m. The Bulldogs are the two-time defending region champions and have appeared in the NCAA Elite Eight three of the last four years. The winner of Thursday night's match faces the winner of the GRU Augusta vs. Anderson match. That regional semifinal match is Friday night at 7:30 p.m. The region championship match is Saturday at 5 p.m.

2014 Daktronics NCAA Division II All-Southeast Region Team
First Team
OH - Ashley Diedrich, USC Aiken              
OH - Summer Kremer, King
OH- Stephanie Sfara, Armstrong State
MH - Hailey Pittman, Anderson
 MH - Jenna Wilson, Carson-Newman
L - Morgan Hill, Armstrong State
S - Kamryn Sherman, Armstrong
Second Team
OH - Rachel Harper, Carson-Newman
OH/RS - Shelly Stumpff, Wingate
OH/RS - Emily Wylie, Armstrong State
MH - Lexi Potter, Wingate
MH - Rachel Thompson, Armstrong State
L - Alix Hooker, Anderson
S - Alison Cooke, Wingate

Southeast Region Player of the Year: Ashley Diedrich, USC Aiken