Wingate, N.C.----The top-seeded and 24th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs swept past the eighth-seeded Lincoln Memorial University Railsplitters Tuesday night in the quarterfinals of the South Atlantic Conference volleyball tournament in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-18, 25-19 and 25-9 to improve to 29-1 overall, advancing to the SAC Tournament semifinals. LMU ends its season 11-19 overall.

NOTES

- Wingate advances to the SAC Tournament semis for the 15th straight season
- The Bulldogs are 34-2 in SAC Tourney play since 2006
- WU has won 11 of the last 13 SAC Tournament titles
- Wingate is 31-1 all-time against LMU, with a 16-0 mark in Cuddy Arena
- The 'Dogs have not dropped a set at home against the Railsplitters since 2009
- NCAA-best 53-match home winning streak for the Bulldogs
- The 'Dogs have not lost a home match since 2016, when they lost to the defending national champs
- The Bulldogs move to 406-36 overall since the start of the 2007 season
- WU has won 158 of its last 164 matches in Cuddy Arena
- Wingate is 187-7 at home since the 2007 season
- The 'Dogs move to 2-0 all-time against UVA-Wise
- WU leads the nation in opponents' hitting percentage and ranks second in blocks
- The Bulldogs have now held 17 opponents to a hitting percentage of under .100 this year

KEY STATS

- Wingate hit .386 with 39 kills and seven errors on the night
- LMU had 25 kills and 22 errors, hitting .033
- The Bulldogs had 10 of the 11 blocks on the match
- The 'Dogs held a 36-33 edge in digs
- WU had 11 of the 13 aces on the night

KEY BULLDOGS

- Lynnlee Mather had eight kills in 12 swings, adding six blocks in just two sets
- Sophie Schaff had seven kills and two blocks
- Reese Blackley added five kills, three digs and two blocks
- Maggie Young contributed four kills and two blocks in two sets of action
- Rachel Alles collected four kills, 11 assists, four digs and two blocks
- Emma Ahrens hit .500 with three kills in two sets
- Shannon Kasprak handed out 16 assists

FIRST SET

- An Emma Winford kill gave LMU a 14-12 lead
- WU scored the next four, getting a kill and a block from Schaff to take a 16-14 lead
- A Yileen Ng He kill tied it at 16, but back-to-back Alles blocks put WU on top by two
- Kills from Mather and Molly Lambillotte gave the 'Dogs a 21-17 advantage
- Wingate ended the set on a 4-0 run, starting with a kill and a block from Mather
- Mather and Anne Abernathy capped the frame with a block
- WU hit .375 with 12 kills and three errors in set one; LMU hit -.071 with nine kills and 11 errors

SECOND SET

- A Lindsey Nartker kill gave LMU a 7-3 lead in set two
- Wingate scored nine of the next 12 to take a 12-10 lead
- Five different Bulldogs had a kill in the spurt
- Nartker's kill gave Lincoln Memorial a 15-12 advantage
- The 'Dogs countered with a 5-0 run, with a Schaff kill and Kasprak ace making it 17-15
- Back-to-back Young kills put the Bulldogs on top 21-18
- Kills from Abernathy and Blackley, along with a Maggie Mullen ace made it 24-19
- Young and Abernathy teamed for a block to cap the frame
- Wingate had 15 kills and three errors to hit .375 in the set

THIRD SET

- Wingate raced out to a 10-1 lead in the final frame
- Mather had three kills in the flurry, with Kasprak adding two aces
- Two kills and a block from Ahrens gave the 'Dogs a 16-4 advantage
- Kills from Alles, Young, Ahrens and Schaff gave Wingate a 22-6 lead
- Young's ace made it 24-8; Hanna Knaley ended the match with a kill

UP NEXT

- Wingate is onto the SAC Tournament semifinals Friday
- The Bulldogs will face Carson-Newman at 4 p.m. in the semis
- The semifinals and finals will take place at Queens University in Charlotte
- The SAC title match will take place Saturday at 2 p.m.