VIDEO | POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE

Wingate, N.C.----The top-seeded and 14th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs are on to the NCAA Southeast Regional semifinals for the 15th time in the last 17 years after taking down eighth-seeded Emmanuel 3-1 in the quarterfinals of the 2025 NCAA Southeast Regional volleyball tournament Thursday night in Cuddy Arena. Wingate prevailed 25-15, 18-25, 25-18 and 25-12 to win its 28th straight, moving to 29-1 overall and advancing to Friday night's semifinals against Flagler. The Lions end their season at 22-10.

KEY STATS

- Wingate had 60 kills and 10 errors in 143 attacks, hitting .350
- Emmanuel had 42 kills and 17 errors in 153 swings to hit .163
- The 'Dogs had a 12-6 advantage in aces
- The Bulldogs had nine of the 12 blocks
- Wingate held an 85-70 edge in digs
- WU hit over .320 in each of the last three sets, with 18 kills in the third and 14 kills with a .414 hitting percentage in the fourth
- EU hit .432 with 17 kills in the second
- The Lions had five kills and six errors in the final frame, hitting -.031

- KEY BULLDOGS

- Sydney Morland hit .519 with 15 kills and six blocks to lead the WU attack
- Alanna Vavao added 12 kills, three digs and two blocks, hitting .357
- Emily Johnson contributed 11 kills, five digs, two aces and a block, hitting .455
- The All-American went over 1,000 career kills during the match
- Gabby Saye hit .450 with 10 kills in 20 swings, adding four digs and a block
- Abby Mas added five kills, three blocks and two kills
- Maya Van Heyst piled up 47 assists, 10 digs, six kills, two blocks and an ace
- Maddie Hoffman had 23 digs, six assists and two aces
- Rylee Tanner notched 18 digs and five aces
- Maggie Fillauer added 13 digs and two aces

SET ONE

- Wingate used a 9-0 run to take an 11-2 lead in the first behind the serving of Tanner
- Tanner had two aces in the spurt, with Morland adding a pair of kills
- Two Johnson kills made it 15-7
- Two Saye kills and a Van Heyst kill put the 'Dogs on top 18-9
- Kills from Morland, Vavao and Van Heyst, along with a Tanner ace made it 22-12
- Morland's block made it 24-14; a Johnson block ended the frame

SET TWO

- An Isabella Reyes kill gave Emmanuel a 9-5 lead
- Two Saye kills and a Van Heyst kill cut the lead to three at 12-9
- Faith Kelly's kill gave the Lions a 17-12 advantage
- An Ellie Jackson block pushed the lead to seven at 21-14
- Kelly's kill made it 24-17; a Wingate error ended the set

SET THREE

- Kills from Van Heyst, Saye and Vavao gave the Bulldogs a 6-2 lead
- EU scored eight of the next nine, taking a 10-6 lead on Jackson's kill
- A Van Heyst ace and Vavao kill cut the lead to two at 11-9
- Kills from Johnson and Morland sparked a 4-0 run to give Wingate a 13-12 advantage
- Kills from Saye and Morland made it 15-13, but a Caitlin Pritchard kill cut the lead back to one
- Kills from Mas, Vavao and Morland sparked a 3-0 run that made it 18-14
- A Vavao kill and Hoffman ace put the 'Dogs on top 20-15
- Kills from Vavao, Johnson and Saye made it 23-16
- Johnson's kill gave WU a 24-18 advantage; Saye's kill ended the frame

SET FOUR

- Two Fillauer aces and a Johnson ace gave Wingate a 5-1 lead
- A 6-0 run made it 11-2, with Mas notching two kills and a block
- Morland's kill put the 'Dogs on top 14-5
- A Mas block and Johnson kill stretched the lead to 10 at 19-9
- Kills from Van Heyst, Vavao and Morland, along with Tanner's ace made it 24-12
- Vavao's kill ended the frame

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back in action Friday, hosting the regional semifinals at 7 p.m. against Flagler
- The winner advances to Saturday's region title match at 4 p.m. in Cuddy Arena
- The other semifinal match features Anderson and Lenoir-Rhyne