Wingate, N.C.----The top-seeded Wingate University Bulldogs bounced back from a tough opening-set loss, prevailing 3-2 over second-seeded Anderson University in the championship match of the 2021 South Atlantic Conference volleyball tournament in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 25-27, 25-20, 25-18, 22-25 and 15-6 to improve to 11-1 overall, claiming the 12th SAC Tournament championship since 2006. Anderson falls to 9-3 overall.

THOUGHTS FROM SHELTON COLLIER:

"This was certainly one of the most intense and well-played conference championships we have been a part of over the years. There was some really high-level volleyball on both sides and it was special that we were able to find a way to grind out a hard fought win in such an important match. We had a number of players step up in clutch moments and I know our team is really proud of the preparation and the performance.

THOUGHTS FROM ANNE ABERNATHY:

"I am proud of every player after this win. We have been working for the championship since this summer, talking about the level of play required to earn this moment. We have had incredible performances from a lot of players this season, grinding out tough wins and competing at high levels every day in our own gym. It has been such a rewarding hard-fought shortened season, and I cannot image a better scenario to head to Dallas than a regular season and tournament championship. I am so proud to be able to have that as my last game in Cuddy. It has been a very rewarding season, and this team has been a joy to play with every day."

THOUGHTS FROM SHANNON KASPRAK:

"I could not be more proud of this team and the fight and grind we showed to accomplish this. Everyone gave their teammates what they needed and played so hard and it means so much to win this championship with this team."

KEY STATS

- Wingate hit .184 on the match; Anderson hit. 072
- The 'Dogs had 63 kills and 29 errors in 185 attacks
- The Trojans had 47 kills and 34 errors in 180 attacks
- Wingate piled up 86 digs; Anderson had 81 digs
- The Bulldogs registered 15 blocks compared to 10 from the Trojans
- The 'Dogs had seven of the 10 aces
- Five Bulldogs had at least nine kills
- WU hit .308 in set three and .350 in the fifth; AU hit -.025 in the second and -.080 in the fifth

KEY BULLDOGS

- Quin Sutphin hit .312 with 13 kills and six blocks
- Sophie Schaff added 11 kills, six blocks and four digs
- Molly Lambillotte added 11 kills, 10 digs, three blocks and three assists
- Reese Blackley contributed 10 kills on the day
- Anne Abernathy hit .571 with nine kills in 14 swings, adding four blocks in three sets of action
- Shannon Kasprak piled up 39 assists, 18 digs, four kills and two blocks
- Courtney Niesen picked up 21 digs; Maggie Mullen added 20 digs
- Maggie Young led all players with seven blocks, adding five kills and two aces
- Kasprak was named the tournament MVP
- She was joined by Niesen and Lambillotte on the All-Tournament Team

FIRST SET

- Wingate raced out to an 8-0 lead in set one, getting two Young aces along with a kill and block from Lambillotte
- Three straight Maya Learmonth kills pulled AU within four at 11-7
- Wingate scored the next six, taking a 17-7 lead on three Schaff kills
- The Trojans scored the next six, making it 17-13 on a Learmonth kill
- A Lambillotte kill and Marianna Warren ace gave Wingate a 22-17 lead
- Kills from Learmonth and Neely Shugart made it 23-21, but a Kasprak kill put WU on top 24-21
- Kills from Regan Duty and Hannah Worsham tied it at 24
- Madison Roy's ace put AU on top 25-24
- Blackley's kill tied it at 25, but a Learmonth kill put the Trojans back on top
- Worsham and Duty teamed for a block to end the set

SECOND SET

- A kill from Sutphin gave Wingate a 5-2 lead in set two
- Another Sutphin kill made it 9-5, but a Sadie Kluner pulled AU within two at 10-8
- A Schaff block and Mullen ace pushed the lead to five at 13-8
- A Sadie Kluner kill and WU error pulled the Trojans within three at 17-14
- A Shugart kill made it 18-17, but an AU error and Young kill put WU on top by three
- Kills from Kasprak and Young put the 'Dogs on top 20-17
- Another Young kill and Anderson error gave Wingate a 23-19 advantage
- A Schaff kill made it 24-20; an Anderson error ended the set

THIRD SET

- Kills from Schaff and Kasprak gave the 'Dogs a 6-3 lead
- A Learmonth block and Worsham kill gave the Trojans a 7-6 advantage
- Kluner's kill gave Anderson a 10-8 lead
- Wingate answered by scoring the next eight points
- Abernathy had two kills and two blocks in the flurry; Lambillotte added two kills
- A pair of WU errors made it 20-16
- An Abernathy kill, followed by a block and a kill from Young made it 24-19
- Schaff ended the set with a kill

FOURTH SET

- A 6-0 run gave Wingate an 11-6 lead in set four, getting a kill and block from Schaff along with a Kasprak ace
- AU scored the next six, taking a 13-11 lead on a Lindsay McCurley ace
- Kills from Young and Schaff tied it at 14
- Back-to-back Sutphin kills put the 'Dogs on top 17-16
- Learmonth's kill capped a 3-0 AU run that made it 19-17
- Two kills and a block from Abernathy tied it at 21
- A Wingate error gave the Trojans a 22-21 lead, but Young's kill tied it at 22
- A Duty kill and Shugart block gave AU a  24-22 advantage; Another Shugart block ended it

FIFTH SET

- Anderson opened the fifth set with an error, but a Duty kill made it 1-1
- Wingate scored the next eight points
- Blackley and Abernathy started the spurt with kills, Abernathy followed with two blocks
- A Sutphin kill and Kasprak ace capped the spurt to make it 9-1
- Back-to-back Sutphin kills put the 'Dogs on top 11-2
- An Abernathy kill, followed by back-to-back AU errors made it 14-4
- Abernathy ended the match with a kill