Aiken, S.C.----The third-seeded Wingate University Bulldogs piled up 25 more kills than sixth-seeded Lander University Friday afternoon, but committed 49 total errors (34 attack errors, 13 ball handling errors, 2 service errors) as the Bearcats prevailed 3-1 in the NCAA regional quarterfinals. Lander won by scores of 25-23, 25-18, 21-25, 25-20 to improve to 25-12 overall. The Bulldogs end their season at 28-5.

The setback is the first opening-round NCAA tournament loss since 2007 for Wingate, who has won three consecutive regional titles. The Bulldogs were looking to reach the NCAA Sweet 16 for a  seventh consecutive year. Wingate did earn an 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament bid, extending the conference record. The Bulldogs have 17 NCAA Tournament victories all-time, more than every other SAC school combined.

"We expected Lander to be a well-coached, hard-working team and they beat us being significantly better in both areas today," head coach Shelton Collier says. "Our players are well-aware that a higher level of play is required to win matches like these, and as a team we are disappointed that we came up so significantly short in our final match of the season."

Halle Dotson had 11 kills and eight digs to lead the Lander attack. Khiani Kelly added nine kills, while Kendall Korte contributed eight kills and 10 digs. Julia Ferreira-Alves had seven kills and 19 digs for the Bearcats, while Sophia Perkins handed out 18 assists. Mallory Taylor collected 22 digs.

Freshman outside hitter Oakley Attaway (Belle Isle, Fla.) piled up a career-high 22 kills to lead the Wingate attack, hitting .381. SAC Player of the Year Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) added 20 kills and eight digs, while sophomore outside hitter Katie Bludau (Seabrook, Texas) contributed 11 kills and 11 digs. Senior setter Iris Brewer (Cincinnati, Ohio) had 41 assists and 15 digs, while freshman libero Kimberly Hovey (Raleigh, N.C.) picked up 27 digs. Sophomore Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) added 16 digs for the Bulldogs.

A kill and an ace from Stumpff, along with a Bludau kill gave the 'Dogs an early 7-3 lead in set one. A kill from Ferreira-Alves cut the lead to two, but a Bludau kill put Wingate on top 14-10. Three consecutive Wingate errors tied the set at 15, but a kill and an ace from freshman Anna Holmquist (Lincoln, Neb.) gave the Bulldogs an 18-16 lead. An Attaway kill made it 20-17, but Lander scored the next five points, taking a 22-20 advantage on five consecutive Bulldog errors. A Stumpff kill cut the lead to one, but a Wingate error and Ferreira-Alves ace made it 24-21. A Stumpff kill, followed by a block from Bludau and Holmquist made it 24-23, but a kill from Korte ended the opening frame.

Back-to-back blocks from Tarryn Angermeier gave the Bearcats a 7-3 lead in set two. A Holmquist kill, along with a block and a kill from Attaway got the 'Dogs within one at 10-9. Lander would then go on a 5-0 run, taking advantage of five more Wingate errors to take a 17-10 advantage. Kills from Bludau and Attaway got the Bulldogs within four at 19-15, but three more Wingate errors made it 22-15. An ace from Angermeier made it 23-15, while back-to-back Bulldog errors ended the set.

Five consecutive Bulldog errors gave Lander a 9-4 lead in set three. Back-to-back blocks from Rachael Cecka (Plymouth, Wis.) cut the lead to two, but another Wingate error gave Lander a 12-8 advantage. The Bulldogs used a 3-0 run to tie it at 13, getting kills from Stumpff and Attaway along with an Adams ace. Back-to-back Bludau kills gave Wingate a 17-15 lead, but a Kelly kill and Bulldog error tied it at 19. An Attaway kill gave the 'Dogs a 21-19 advantage, but another Kelly kill made it 21-20. Wingate scored the next three points, getting two Stumpff kills along with a Bludau kill to go on top 24-20. A kill from freshman Phoebe Havenaar (Naperville, Ill.) ended the set.

An Ali Kirk kill and two Wingate errors put Lander on top 7-4 in set four. Kills from Ferreira-Alves and Kelly made it 10-5, but back-to-back Attaway kills got the Bulldogs within three. Another Ferreira-Alves kill, along with a Perkins ace made it 14-8, but an Attaway kill and two Bearcat errors cut the lead to three. Back-to-back Wingate errors pushed the lead back to five, while a Kelly kill and Wingate error made it 20-14. An Attaway kill, followed by back-to-back Stumpff kills got the 'Dogs within three at 22-19, but kills from Dotson and Korte made it 24-19. A kill from Korte ended the match.

Lander hit .158 for the match, with 39 kills and 14 errors in 158 attacks. Wingate had 64 kills and 34 errors in 178 attacks, hitting .169 on the day. The 34 attack errors ties a season-high, which Wingate also had in a 3-1 loss at Georgia College on opening weekend. The 13 ball handling errors are a season high. Stumpff had two of Wingate's four aces, while Attaway and Smith led the 'Dogs with two blocks apiece.