VIDEO | Press Conference - Collier, Lambillotte, Young

Wingate, N.C.----The top-seeded Wingate University Bulldogs swept past the eighth-seeded Emmanuel College Lions Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the 2019 NCAA Southeast Regional Volleyball Tournament in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-18, 25-22 and 25-13 to improve to 30-2 overall and advance to Friday night's regional semifinal match. The Lions end their season at 20-13 overall.

THOUGHTS FROM MOLLY LAMBILLOTTE

"I'm really proud of the team and our confidence going into the match tonight. We executed the game plan, while also playing Wingate volleyball. The atmosphere in Cuddy was so motivating and comforting, we can't thank our fans enough."

KEY STATS

- Wingate hit .375 with 48 kills and 12 errors
- Emmanuel hit .165 with 30 kills and 16 errors
- Each team had six blocks
- The 'Dogs had 36 digs compared to 29 from the Lions
- WU had six of the seven aces on the night
- The Bulldogs hit .333 or better in each set
- Wingate had over 15 kills in each frame

NOTES

- Second straight year WU and EC have met in the regional quarterfinals
- Wingate is hosting the regionals for the eighth time in 12 years
- The 'Dogs have now won an NCAA-best 54 straight home matches
- The Bulldogs have won 10 straight NCAA Tourney matches in Cuddy Arena
- WU is making its 15th straight NCAA Tournament appearance
- The 'Dogs move to 23-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament
- Wingate is 18-3 in NCAA Tourney matches in Cuddy Arena
- WU has won 159 of its last 165 matches in Cuddy Arena
- Wingate is 188-7 at home since the 2007 season
- The Bulldogs are the defending region champs and have five region titles since 2010
- WU will look to advance to the region title match for the eighth time in 10 years

KEY BULLDOGS

- Sophie Schaff hit .400 with 11 kills and two blocks
- Maggie Young hit .727 with nine kills and two blocks
- Lynnlee Mather hit .615 with eight kills and three blocks
- Molly Lambillotte added seven kills and 11 digs
- Anne Abernathy hit .455 with six kills
- Shannon Kasprak had 20 assists, three digs and an ace
- Rachel Alles added 19 assists, eight digs, a kill and an ace
- Treslyn Ortiz collected 10 digs, five assists and two aces

FIRST SET

- Three Lambillotte kills gave Wingate a 10-6 lead
- Mia Cotton's kill got Emmanuel within two, but two Schaff kills and a Young block made it 14-9
- A Jessica Gray block got EC back within two at 15-13, but WU scored the next five points
- Mather and Abernathy started the spurt with kills, while two Kasey Eastland aces made it 20-13
- An Abernathy kill made it 24-17; Young's kill ended the frame

SECOND SET

- A kill and a block from Young put WU on top 10-6
- Emmanuel scored six of the next seven, taking a 13-12 lead on Cotton's kill
- Kills from Abernathy and Young put the Bulldogs on top 17-15
- Taylor Roberts got the Lions back within one with a kill to make it 22-21
- An Emmanuel service error and Ortiz ace put WU on top 24-21
- Alles ended the frame with a kill

THIRD SET

- Cotton's kill gave Emmanuel a 7-3 lead in the third set
- Wingate scored 14 of the next 16 points to take control of the frame
- Abernathy started the flurry with a pair of kills, while Schaff capped it with three kills to make it 17-9
- A kill and a block from Mather, along with an Emma Ahrens kill put Wingate on top 20-12
- Two Ahrens kills and a Kasprak ace gave the 'Dogs a 24-13 advantage; An EC error ended the match

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back in action Friday night in Cuddy Arena
- The Bulldogs host Augusta at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN3
- The Jaguars swept USC Aiken in Thursday's quarterfinals
- Wingate and Augusta met opening weekend, with the 'Dogs winning 3-0
- The winner advances to the regional title match Saturday at 5 p.m. in Cuddy Arena
- The other semifinal match is at 5 p.m. between Flagler and Carson-Newman