Wingate, N.C.----The 25th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs are the number one seed in this week's NCAA Southeast Regional Volleyball Tournament, which will take place in Cuddy Arena on the campus of Wingate University. The regionals get underway Friday and run through Sunday. The Bulldogs open regional play with the final match Friday evening, facing eighth-seeded USC Aiken at 7:30 p.m. The 'Dogs are 29-2 overall, capturing the 2022 SAC regular season and tournament titles.

NCAA Southeast Regionals
1-seed Wingate (29-2) vs. 8-seed USC Aiken (19-13)
Friday, Nov. 18 | 7:30 p.m. | Wingate, N.C. (Cuddy Arena)
Watch | Live Stats | Championship Central | Full Bracket

HOW THEY GOT HERE

- Wingate earned its 17th straight NCAA Tournament bid
- The Bulldogs won the SAC Piedmont Division title in the regular season
- The 'Dogs finished 17-1 in the SAC, the top record in the conference
- WU went on to win the SAC Tournament title
- The 'Dogs have been the top-ranked team in every NCAA SE Region poll this year
- Wingate won its 16th regular season SAC title in 17 years in 2022
- The Bulldogs captured their 13th SAC Tournament championship in 17 years
- WU defeated Limestone, Anderson and Carson-Newman to capture the tourney title
- Wingate moved to 278-18 in league play over the last 17 seasons, going 45-5 in the SAC Tourney
- USC Aiken earned an at-large bid to the regional
- The Pacers closed out the regular season with back-to-back wins
- USC Aiken then advanced to the PBC Tournament title match
- USCA won in five at Flagler to close out the regular season, then beat Ga. College in the tourney opener
- The Pacers knocked off top-seeded Augusta in four sets in the PBC semis
- Aiken dropped a five-set match in the PBC title match against Flagler
- USC Aiken is making its seventh NCAA Tourney appearance in the last 10 years

WHAT'S AT STAKE

- The winner advances to the regional semifinals Friday at 7:30
- The winner will face the winner of the Anderson vs. Lander match
- The semifinal winner advances to the region title match Sunday at 3 p.m.
- The region champion advances to the national quarterfinals in Seattle, Wash. Dec. 1-3

SERIES HISTORY

- The Bulldogs are 12-9 all-time against the Pacers, but have been dominant as of late
- Wingate has won eight straight in the series
- The 'Dogs are 6-3 against Aiken in Cuddy Arena
- The last time the two teams met was in the 2018 NCAA Tournament at Wingate
- The Bulldogs swept the Pacers in the region finals to advance to the national quarterfinals
- Wingate and Aiken met in early-season tourneys in 2014 and 2016, with WU sweeping both
- USC Aiken's last win in the series was in 2007, a 3-2 victory in Aiken

WINGATE NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY

- This is Wingate's SAC-best 18th NCAA Tourney appearance
- The 'Dogs are making a SAC-record 17th straight appearance
- This marks the ninth time the Bulldogs will host the NCAA Regionals
- WU first hosted in 2008, hosting the next three regionals as well
- The 'Dogs also hosted in 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2019
- Wingate has five region championships, four of which have come in Cuddy Arena
- The Bulldogs won their first-ever ever region title in 2010
- WU added titles in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2018
- Wingate is 24-17 all-time in NCAA Tournament play
- The Bulldogs are 18-4 in regional play inside Cuddy Arena
- The 'Dogs have at least one tourney win in 11 of the last 13 seasons
- Wingate has played in the region title match eight times since 2009
- WU leads the SAC in NCAA appearances and wins, along with region titles
- The rest of the SAC has combined for two region championships

ABOUT THE BULLDOGS

- Wingate continued its incredible stretch by winning two more SAC titles
- The Bulldogs are 29-2 overall, going 17-1 in league play
- 22 of the 29 wins this year have come in three sets
- The 'Dogs have now piled up 29 SAC titles over the last 17 years
- WU also has five region titles, all coming since 2010
- The Bulldogs are 471-46 overall since 2007, going 278-18 in league play
- Wingate has been tough at home in that stretch, going 218-8 in Cuddy Arena
- WU is 104-3 at home over the last eight seasons
- Wingate is 10-0 at home this year, dropping just three sets
- The 'Dogs have gotten it done on offense and defense in 2022
- Wingate is the only team in the top 10 in the nation in hitting percentage and opponents' hitting
- The Bulldogs ranks second in opponents' hitting percentage and fifth in hitting percentage
- WU ranks third in the nation in wins and winning percentage
- The 'Dogs are seven in the nation in blocks per set, 13th in assists per set and 19th in kills per set
- Wingate had five players earn All-SAC honors and three All-Region honorees
- Shannon Kasprak is the SAC and Region Player of the Year, along with earning SAC Tourney MVP honors
- She was also the 2021 Spring Player of the Year and Tourney MVP
- She leads all league setters in total assists, kills and blocks, ranking second in digs and aces
- Kasprak averages 10.4 assists, 3.3 digs, 1.4 kills and .070 blocks per set
- Freshman Emily Johnson earned first team All-SAC and All-Region honors
- She finished the regular season as the league leader in blocks and hitting percentage
- She is hitting .375 with 2.2 kills and 1.14 blocks per set on the year
- Molly Lambillotte earned first team All-SAC and second team All-Region honors
- She leads Wingate with 2.7 kills per set, adding 2.7 digs and 0.56 blocks per set
- Lambillotte leads all left-side hitters in the region with a .302 hitting percentage
- Maggie Young earned second team All-SAC honors
- She ranks sixth in the SAC with a .360 hitting percentage and eighth with 0.97 blocks per set
- Maggie Mullen picked up third team all-conference accolades
- She leads the 'Dogs with 3.88 digs per set, adding 78 assists and 16 aces

ABOUT THE PACERS

- USC Aiken is 19-13 on the season, going 6-9 in PBC play
- The Pacers were 4-2 against SAC opponents this year, defeating Catawba, Tusculum, Mars Hill and LR
- USC Aiken lost to SAC foes Carson-Newman and Lincoln Memorial
- USCA has a pair of All-PBC honorees
- Kari Mercer is an all-conference and All-Region libero
- She ranks second in the PBC and 18^th in the nation wth 5.26 digs per set
- Emily Lammers earned All-PBC accolades
- She leads the Pacers with 3.06 kills per set, adding 2.64 digs per set and 55 aces, hitting .130

WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a laboratory of difference-making that serves more than 3,400 students in North Carolina. Wingate offers 38 undergraduate majors as well as seven master's and four doctoral degrees. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences; the Levine College of Health Sciences; the Byrum School of Business; the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences. 

Wingate is a leader in healthcare education, and nearly one in five Wingate undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Student-athletes on Wingate's 25 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award for 14 years straight. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.