Rock Hill, S.C.----For the 16th time in the last 19 seasons, the Wingate University Bulldogs will play in the SAC title match. The 'Dogs swept past Lenoir-Rhyne in the semifinals of the South Atlantic Conference volleyball tournament Wednesday afternoon, prevailing 25-22, 25-21 and 25-17 to improve to 27-2 overall, pushing their winning streak to 18 matches. LR falls to 21-10 on the season.

KEY STATS

- Wingate had 53 kills and 13 errors in 128 attacks, hitting .313
- LR had 31 kills and 19 errors in 120 swings to hit .100
- The Bulldogs held a 60-55 advantage in digs
- Wingate had 10 of the 17 blocks
- The Bears had six of the eight aces on the day
- WU hit .343 in set two and .346 in set three
- The 'Dogs piled up 24 kills in the final frame, with LR collecting just eight
- The Bears had 10 kills and 10 errors in the second, hitting .000

KEY BULLDOGS

- Gabby Saye had 11 kills and a pair of blocks to lead the attack
- SAC Player of the Year Maggie Young had nine kills with a .421 hitting percentage, adding an ace and a block
- Sydney Morland hit .400 with eight kills and a pair of blocks
- Amber Rowoldt had eight kills, 16 digs, five blocks and an ace
- Lorna Stacherski added seven kills and five digs
- Emily Johnson hit .313 with six kills and six blocks
- Maya Van Heyst registered 23 assists, a  kill and a dig
- Katie Jamerson had 19 assists, 12 digs and two kills
- Maggie Mullen collected 10 digs, two assists and a kill
- Taryn Pryce added 10 digs and an assist

SET ONE

- Wingate ran off a 7-0 run to take a 13-6 lead
- Morland started the spurt with two blocks and a kill; a Rowoldt kill ended it
- LR answered with a 7-0 run, tying it at 14 on a Kathy Peter block
- An ace from Peter put the Bears on top 18-16
- Young's kill cut the lead to one, but an Aasia McNeill kill made it 20-18
- Wingate scored the next five to go on top 23-20 behind the serving of Young
- A Morland kill and Johnson block tied it at 20, while a Johnson kill and Rowoldt block made it 22-20
- An LR error ended the flurry to give Wingate a three-point lead
- Rowoldt's kill made it 24-21; Johnson ended the frame with a kill

SET TWO

- A McNeill kill gave Lenoir-Rhyne a 10-9 advantage in set two
- Rowoldt and Saye each had a kill and a block in a 4-0 WU spurt that gave the 'Dogs a 13-10 lead
- Two Stacherski kills stretched the lead to four at 17-13
- A Peter kill and WU error cut the lead to one at 18-17
- Kills from Rowoldt and Morland gave the 'Dogs a 21-18 advantage
- A Johnson block and Stacherski kill made it 24-19; Saye ended the frame with a kill

SET THREE

- Kills from Saye, Stacherski and Van Heyst gave Wingate an 8-2 advantage in the third
- A Cheyenne Clonch kill cut the lead to two at 10-8
- Kills from Morland and Saye made it 12-8, but A Taylor Osborne kill capped a 3-0 run that tied it at 13
- Wingate responded with a 5-0 run, getting a pair of Stacherski kills to go on top 18-13
- Kills from Morland and Young put the Bulldogs on top 21-15
- Two Rowoldt kills and a Johnson kill made it 24-17; Saye capped the match with a kill

UP NEXT

- Wingate is onto the SAC title match Thursday in Rock Hill
- The Bulldogs will face Tusculum at 7 p.m.
- The 'Dogs have won 13 of the last 17 SAC Tournament titles