VIDEO | Press Conference (Collier, Mullen & Johnson)

Wingate, N.C.----The top-seeded and 25th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs overcame a set one loss Friday night, rallying for a 3-1 victory over eighth-seeded USC Aiken in the quarterfinals of the 2022 NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Volleyball Tournament in Cuddy Arena. Wingate won by scores of 24-26, 25-17, 25-18 and 25-17 to improve to 30-2 overall, advancing to Saturday night's regional semifinals. USC Aiken ends its season at 19-14.

KEY STATS

- Wingate had 54 kills and 14 errors in 143 attacks, hitting .280
- USC Aiken had 48 kills and 29 errors in 180 swings to hit .106
- The 'Dogs held an 88-68 advantage in digs
- The Bulldogs had a decisive 11.5-3 advantage in blocks
- Each team had six aces on the night
- Wingate hit .290 or better in each of the last three frames, hitting .448 in set two
- The 'Dogs had 30 combined kills in sets two and four
- USCA hit below .090 in sets two and four and never hit over .150 in the frame

KEY BULLDOGS

- Molly Lambillotte had 16 kills, 16 digs, three blocks and an ace, hitting .300
- Emily Johnson hit .370 with 11 kills, seven blocks, a dig and an ace
- Maggie Young hit .538 with eight kills and four blocks
- Victoria Wilform contributed seven kills and five blocks
- Shannon Kasprak piled up 44 assists, 16 digs, eight kills, two blocks an ace
- Maggie Mullen picked up 22 digs, adding an assist
- Taryn Pryce collected 17 digs, adding two assists and an ace

NOTES

- Wingate is making its SAC-record 17th straight NCAA Tourney appearance and 18th overall
- The 'Dogs are hosting the NCAA Regionals for the ninth time since 2008
- The Bulldogs improve to 25-17 all-time in NCAA Tournament play
- The 'Dogs are now 19-4 in NCAA Tourney matches in Cuddy Arena
- WU now has at least one tournament win in 12 of the last 14 seasons
- The Bulldogs lead the SAC in NCAA Tourney appearances, wins and region titles
- Wingate moves to 13-9 all-time against USC Aiken
- The 'Dogs move to 7-3 against the Pacers in Cuddy Arena
- WU has now won nine straight in the series
- The Bulldogs hit the 30-win mark for the 11th time in the last 16 season
- 52nd career double-double for Kasprak; 18th of the season
- Ninth time this season the SAC and Region Player of the Year has had seven or more kills
- 19th career double-double for Lambillotte; ninth of the season
- 10th time this year the All-SAC and All-Region honoree has hit over .300 with double-digit kills in a match
- Ninth time this season Young has hit .500 or better in a match
- Seventh double-digit kill effort from the All-SAC and All-Region middle blocker Johnson
- She has hit over .300 in six of those performances
- Second time in the last three matches Mullen has collected over 20 digs
- Season-high 17 digs for Pryce

FIRST SET

- An Emily Lammers kill gave USC Aiken a 10-5 lead
- Johnson's kill cut the lead to three, but three straight WU errors made it 17-11
- A Young kill and back-to-back Johnson blocks cut the lead to three at 19-16
- WU used a 5-0 run to take the lead, getting kills from Wilform, Johnson and Gabby Saye
- Kills from Wilform and Kasprak put the 'Dogs on top 23-22
- A Sadie McKay kill and Lammers block gave the Pacers a 24-23 advantage
- An Aiken error tied it at 24, but a Lammers kill and Brooke Wroten kill ended the set

SECOND SET

- Two kills and a block from Johnson gave the Bulldogs an early 7-3 lead
- Three straight kills from McKay gave USC Aiken a 12-11 advantage
- A Young block tied it at 13, but a Lammers kill put USCA on top 14-13
- Wingate scored eight of the next nine to take a 21-15 lead
- Two Johnson kills, along with kills from Kasprak and Wilform made it 18-14
- Johnson and Lambillotte teamed for a block to give the 'Dogs a six-point cushion
- A Lambillotte kill and two Aiken errors made it 24-16; another Lambillotte kill ended it

THIRD SET

- Wingate used a 4-0 run to take a 14-10 lead, getting a kill and an ace from Johnson along with a Pryce ace
- A Kaitlyn Rodriguez kill pulled the Pacers within three at 15-12
- A kill and a block from Lambillotte stretched the WU advantage back to five
- A Wilform kill capped a 3-0 run that gave the Bulldogs a 23-16 lead
- Back-to-back USC Aiken errors ended the frame

FOURTH SET

- A Lammers ace gave the Pacers a 7-3 lead
- Wingate scored the next five, getting two Kasprak kills and a Maddie Hoffman ace to go on top 8-7
- Back-to-back Lammers kill gave USC Aiken a 15-14 edge
- The 'Dogs scored the next six behind another strong serving run from Hoffman
- Hoffman had an ace in the spurt, with Kasprak adding two kills along with kills from Lambillotte and Johnson
- Kills from Johnson and Lambillotte gave the Bulldogs a 23-16 advantage
- Lambillotte's kill made it 24-17; Young ended the match with a kill

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back in action Saturday, hosting Lander at 7:30 p.m. in the region semis
- The winner of that match is on to Sunday's region title match
- The other semifinal features Augusta and Flagler
- Every match of the Southeast Regional will take place in Cuddy Arena