Wingate Advances to NCAA Volleyball Regional Final

WINGATE, N.C. - The top-seeded and ninth-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs hit .343 on the match, sweeping the fifth-seeded Trojans of Anderson University in the NCAA Southeast Regional semifinals in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-18, 25-11 and 25-22 to improve to 31-2 overall, advancing to the regional championship match for the fifth consecutive year. Anderson ends its season at 19-15 overall.

Wingate has now won 13 NCAA Tournament matches all-time, more than the rest of the SAC teams combined. The Bulldogs have swept each of the last five NCAA Southeast regional matches. The Bulldogs will look to win their third regional title in four years Saturday, when they take on second-seeded and 17th-ranked Armstrong Atlantic at 4 p.m. The defending regional champion Bulldogs have won 28 consecutive matches overall.

Junior Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) and Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) had nine kills each to lead the Wingate attack. Potter hit .643 with three blocks, while Murach had four blocks and a .316 hitting percentage. Seniors Anna Hilton(Hickory, N.C.) and Allison Rickher (Matthews, N.C.) added seven kills each. Rickher hit .500 to go along with four blocks, while Hilton added 10 digs and two blocks, hitting .389. Redshirt junior Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) had 31 assists, nine digs and five kills, while junior libero Stephanie Tassone (Chicago, Ill.) had 11 digs.

"This was a very good all-around performance by our entire team tonight," head coach Shelton Collier says. "Our offense was very strong and we really played well in every aspect of our game. The NCAA Tournament is a great time for us to play such a strong match together as a team. We will have momentum and confidence as we enter tomorrow's championship match."

Priscilla Irizarry had 10 kills and three blocks to lead the Anderson attack. Shannon Gillespie added eight kills and eight digs, while Hailey Pittman added six kills. Meghan Cautero had 20 assists, while Kelley Lacey had 13 digs.

Wingate used a 6-0 run to take a 15-9 lead in the opening set. Rickher started it with a kill and a block, while Murach added three kills in the flurry. A Rickher kill and two Anderson errors gave the Bulldogs a 19-11 advantage. An ace from Cautero, along with a block from Irizarry cut the lead to five at 21-16. Kills from Potter and freshman Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) made it 24-17, while a kill from sophomore setter Iris Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio) capped the set.

A 5-0 run helped the Bulldogs jump out to a 10-4 lead in set two. Potter started it with a kill and a block, while a kill from Cooke finished the flurry. Kills from Murach and Rickher pushed the lead to nine at 14-5. A pair of Hilton kills, along with a Saehler kill made it 20-8. Kills from Potter and Murach pushed the lead to 24-11, while a Cooke kill finished the second frame.

Kills from Murach and Cooke gave Wingate a 9-4 lead in set three. A Hallman block and Hooker ace trimmed the lead to three at 12-9, but a 5-0 run put the 'Dogs on top 18-9. Cooke had two aces in the flurry, while Murach and Rickher capped it with a block. Kills from Saehler and Potter made it 23-14. Anderson answered with a 7-0 run, getting three aces from Gillespie to make it 23-21. Potter answered with a kill to make it 24-21, while a Murach kill finished the match.

The Bulldogs had 44 kills and 10 errors in 99 attacks, hitting .343 on the night. Anderson had 28 kills and 21 errors in 102 attacks, hitting .069.

- Wingate media relations