Wingate, N.C.----The top-seeded and 12th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs defeated second-seeded and 21st-ranked Armstrong State University in a five-set thriller in the NCAA Southeast Regional championship match Saturday evening in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-14, 21-25, 25-20, 19-25 and 15-11 to improve to 34-2 overall, winning the regional title for the third consecutive year. Wingate will play in the NCAA Elite Eight for the fourth time in five years. Armstrong ends its season at 30-3 overall.

The Bulldogs became the first team in SAC history to earn an Elite Eight bid in 2010. Wingate added a regional title in 2012, while defeating Armstrong State in 2013 for a third championship. Wingate hit a tournament-best .331 for the week, averaging 13.3 kills per set while holding opponents to a .148 hitting percentage and 10.5 kills per set. Wingate will play in the national quarterfinals on Dec. 4 in Louisville, Ky. The 'Dogs will face the winner of the Rockhurst vs. Grand Valley State match. Wingate is still looking for its first-ever NCAA Final Four appearance.

"Only a very small percentage of athletes have an opportunity to reach the pinnacle goal they set as a team before the season, so our team is obviously thrilled that we played well enough to win tonight, qualify for the Elite Eight and reach this significant goal," head coach Shelton Collier says. "I think Armstrong State and our team both knew all season that we would be playing in this match for the regional championship, so both teams were highly-motivated and well-prepared. We had a bunch of players step up and really play some high-level volleyball tonight and our team worked hard to earn a very hard-fought, highly emotional match that had so much riding on it. Representing Wingate at another Elite Eight will be a very special experience for this team."

Senior outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) had 16 kills to lead the Wingate attack, hitting .312 while adding nine digs and five aces. Junior right-side hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) added 14 kills, 11 digs and three aces, while freshman outside hitter Katie Bludau (Seabrook, Texas) had eight kills and six digs, hitting .312. Senior middle blocker Lexi Potter (North Liberty, Iowa) added seven kills and three blocks, while sophomore middle blocker Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) also had seven kills, hitting .417 with three blocks. Redshirt senior setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) had 48 assists, 10 digs, four kills and three blocks, while freshman Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) collected 14 digs while adding five assists.

Rachel Thompson hit .500 with 11 kills to lead the Armstrong attack, while Anna McGee added 11 kills. Stephanie Sfara had 10 kills, nine digs and two aces, while Taylor Permenter had nine kills and two blocks. Kamryn Sherman registered 39 assists and 10 digs, while Morgan Hill had nine digs.

Each team had four players earn All-Tournament honors. Murach led the way for Wingate, hitting .405 on the week with 3.17 kills per set. Cooke handed out 10.50 assists per set, while Stumpff hit .299 with 2.92 kills per set. Potter also earned All-Tournament honors, hitting .338 with 27 kills and eight blocks. Thompson hit .453 for the tournament with 28 kills, while Sfara averaged 2.75 kills and 2.33 digs per set. Sherman handed out 10.20 assists per set, while Hill averaged 3.58 digs per set. They were joined by Kali Boatwright and Kristen Koch of GRU Augusta and Rachel Harper and Taylor Lowe of Carson-Newman.

"It is worth noting the very impressive performances of our seniors at this NCAA championship," Collier says. "Lexi has been one the most consistent and dominating players to ever play here and she was awesome this weekend, hitting .338 for the event. Susie played the best volleyball of her career this season, especially during the postseason tournaments, which is a credit to her. Having 38 kills and a .405 efficiency for an outside hitter is unheard of at a championship event. Alison directed our team to extremely high hitting percentages, .331 for three NCAA matches, also playing some of her best ever volleyball late in the season. Cory McGowan bounced back from her knee surgery to play a huge role, Stephanie Tassone was rock solid as a defensive specialist, and Jenna Flanigin was a significant influence with her leadership. Winning eight SAC championships and going to two Elite Eights is very special for this group."

Wingate jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the opening set, getting three early Bludau kills. A Permenter kill cut the lead to four, but a block and a kill from Potter made it 10-4. A Saehler kill and two Armstrong errors gave the Bulldogs a 16-8 lead. A Bludau kill, along with a Cooke kill made it 21-11. A pair of Murach kills gave the 'Dogs a 24-14 lead, while another Murach kill ended the first set. Wingate hit .412 in the opening frame, with 17 kills and three errors in 34 swings.

Kills from Thompson and McGee gave the Pirates a 10-7 lead in set two. A kill and an ace from Murach tied it at 12, but a 3-0 run gave Armstrong an 18-15 advantage. Sfara capped the spurt with an ace. A McGee kill made it 22-17, while a Permenter kill and Wingate error made it 24-18. Permenter capped the set with a kill.

A Bludau ace and two Murach kills helped Wingate jump out to a 9-5 lead in the third set. A kill and an ace from Sfara cut the lead to one at 12-11, but kills from Cooke and Murach, along with a block from Cooke and Potter made it 15-11. A Permenter kill cut the lead to two at 17-15, but the Bulldogs scored the next four points. Stumpff started the spurt with a kill, while Murach followed with three straight aces. Kills from Saehler and Stumpff, along with another block from Cooke and Potter made it 24-17. An Armstrong error ended the third set.

A kill and a block from Thompson gave the Pirates a 9-4 lead in the fourth set. A Murach kill and Cooke ace helped cut the lead to two at 10-8, but kills from McGee and Emily Wylie made it 15-9. A Murach kill trimmed the lead to three at 16-13, but Armstrong scored the next four points, taking a 20-13 advantage on a Brittany Hereth ace. A Saehler block, along with a pair of Armstrong errors helped Wingate cut the lead to three at 21-18, but a Sfara kill and McGee kill made it 23-18. Back-to-back Bulldog errors ended the set, sending the match to a fifth set.

Kills from Potter and Bludau gave Wingate an 8-5 lead in the fifth set. A Thompson kill cut the lead to two, but a block from Saehler and Murach made it 10-7. Murach added a kill and an ace to give the 'Dogs a 12-8 advantage. An error made it 12-9, but a Stumpff kill pushed the lead back to four. Sfara answered with a kill and a block, cutting the lead to two at 13-11. Stumpff answered with a kill, while a Stumpff ace ended the match, giving Wingate the championship.

The Bulldogs hit .286 for the match, with 58 kills and 20 errors in 133 attacks. Armstrong had 48 kills and 21 errors in 147 attacks, hitting .184. Potter, Saehler and Cooke led Wingate with three blocks each, while Murach had a match-high five aces, with Stumpff contributing three. Thompson and Wylie each had three blocks for the Pirates, while Sfara had two of their six aces.

NCAA Southeast Region All-Tournament Team
Rachel Harper, Carson-Newman
Taylor Lowe, Carson-Newman
Kali Boatwright, GRU Augusta
Kristen Koch, GRU Augusta
Kamryn Sherman , Armstrong
Stephanie Sfara, Armstrong
Rachel Thompson, Armstrong
Morgan Hill, Armstrong
Alison Cooke, Wingate
Susie Murach, Wingate
Lexi Potter, Wingate
Shelly Stumpff, Wingate