Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University junior outside hitter Molly Lambillotte piled up 14 kills while hitting .462 Thursday night, leading the top-seeded Bulldogs to a 3-0 victory over fourth-seeded Queens University in the semifinals of the 2021 South Atlantic Conference volleyball tournament. Wingate won by scores of 25-21, 25-19 and 25-18 to improve to 10-1 overall, advancing to Saturday's SAC title match which will take place in Cuddy Arena. The Royals end their season at 7-5.

KEY STATS

- Wingate hit .256 on the night; Queens hit .100
- The Bulldogs had 49 kills and 18 errors in 122 attacks
- The Royals registered 31 kills and 18 errors in 130 attacks
- The 'Dogs piled up 72 digs compared to 50 from Queens
- The Royals had a 5-4 advantage in blocks on the night
- Each team had two aces
- The 'Dogs held the Royals to a -.026 hitting percentage in the final set

KEY BULLDOGS

- Lambillotte needed just 26 swings to pile up 14 kills, adding eight digs, two assists and a block
- Reese Blackley added nine kills and four digs
- Maggie Young hit .556 with six kills and two blocks
- Quin Sutphin and Sophie Schaff added five kills apiece
- Shannon Kasprak compiled 36 assists, nine digs, five kills and a block
- Courtney Niesen piled up 23 digs, adding four assists
- Kasey Eastland picked up 12 digs on the night

FIRST SET

- A Logan Witt kill gave Queens a 9-7 lead in the opening set
- Kasprak's kill pulled the 'Dogs within one at 9-8
- The Royals scored the next four, taking a 13-8 lead on back-to-back WU errors
- Back-to-back Schaff kills pulled Wingate back within three at 13-10
- Witt's kill put the Royals on top by five, but a Lambillotte kill made it 15-13
- Kills from Sutphin and Lambillotte got Wingate within one at 16-15
- The 'Dogs used a 5-0 run to take a 20-17 lead
- Lambillotte started the spurt with a kill, while Blackley followed with three straight kills
- A Lindsay Elmore block and WU error tied it at 21
- Wingate answered by scoring the final four points of the set
- Blackley and Schaff started the flurry with kills to make it 23-21
- Blackley's kill made it 24-21; a Queens error ended the frame

SECOND SET

- A Lambillotte kill and Young ace gave Wingate a 6-2 advantage in set two
- Kills from Casey Tarvin and Brooke Farley tied it at nine
- Two Young kills and a Blackley kill put the Bulldogs on top 13-10
- Wingate added a 4-0 run, getting a kill and a block from Sutphin to take a 17-11 lead
- A Lorna Stacherski kill made it 19-14
- Witt's kill pulled the Royals within three at 21-18
- A kill and a block from Young put the 'Dogs on top 24-18
- A kill from Anne Abernathy ended the set

THIRD SET

- A Young kill gave WU a 7-6 lead, but a Chanel Turner kill tied it at seven
- The 'Dogs answered with a 10-0 run
- Lambillotte had three kills in the spurt; Schaff and Kasprak each added a kill and a block
- An Abbey Criser kill pulled the Royals within five at 19-14
- Kills from Schaff and Marianna Warren made it 21-14
- Kills from Young and Warren made it 23-16; an Emma Ahrens kill put WU on top 24-18
- A Queens error ended the match

UP NEXT

- Wingate will host the SAC Championship match Saturday at 2 p.m.
- The Bulldogs will host Anderson in Cuddy Arena