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Wingate, N.C.----The defending SAC and region champion Wingate University Bulldogs open up the 2025 season this weekend, hosting the Bulldog Invitational Thursday through Saturday in Cuddy Arena. Wingate begins the season Thursday at 7 p.m., hosting UNC Pembroke. The Bulldogs host Lewis Friday at 7 p.m., then take on Francis Marion and USC Aiken Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The 'Dogs went 31-3 in 2024, capturing the regular season SAC title for the 18th time in the last 19 seasons. The Bulldogs went on to sweep through the SAC Tournament, claiming their 14th tourney title in 19 years. Wingate earned hosting duties at the NCAA Regionals for the 11th time in the last 16 years, while capturing the seventh region title in program history.

The Bulldogs are no strangers to success, piling up 32 total league championships over the past 19 years to go along with seven region titles. Wingate is the preseason SAC favorite for the 20th straight season. The Bulldogs are 524-54 overall since the start of the 2007 season, going 312-20 in league play. Wingate has ranked in the top 10 nationally in winning percentage 18 times over the last 19 seasons and is still the only team in SAC history to earn an AVCA top 25 ranking. The Bulldogs are #17 in the preseason AVCA top 25 poll. Wingate leads the SAC and the Southeast Region in All-Americans, with at least one player earning AVCA All-American recognition in each of the last 17 seasons. The 'Dogs have the only AVCA first team All-American in league history, and the only five AVCA second team honorees. The 'Dogs have had 20 different honorees earn either first, second, or third team accolades, with numerous others picking up honorable mention recognition.

The Bulldogs return plenty of firepower in 2025, with five players that earn AVCA All-American recognition including second team honoree Sydney Morland and third team selection Maya Van Heyst. They are joined by honorable mention All-Americans Emily Johnson, Gabby Saye and Maddie Hoffman. "Preseason has been good, we have a nice mixture of veteran players and youthful underclassmen to bring a new, fun energy to the gym," head coach Lauren Tekavec says. "We had a good preseason test when we went to play UNC Greensboro, we learned a lot from the experience and grew some confidence that we can play at a high level."

With the 'Dogs capturing both SAC titles and a region championship last year, and being picked as the overwhelming preseason favorites, expectations are once again high. "The mindset of the team is we open up Thursday against UNCP," Tekavec says. "In order for us to accomplish our season-long goals, every team on the schedule is important. We take it one challenge at a time; we're not focusing on anything else."

Wingate has a strong leadership group, with a quartet of senior All-Americans. "We have a group of people who truly understand the difficulty of the conference and the region," Tekavec says. "They understand the standard of what it will take in practice to be able to succeed. Every day after practice, if we feel like it wasn't good enough, our leaders will let them know what it will take to accomplish all of our goals this year."

SETTER

Van Heyst was an All-SAC, All-Region and AVCA third team All-American honoree in 2024. She did it all for the Bulldogs, leading the team in assists and aces while ranking second in digs, fourth in blocks and fifth in kills while hitting .302. She averaged 6.96 assists, 1.96 kills and 3.14 digs per set while piling up 52 blocks and 41 aces. Van Heyst ranked eighth in the nation with her four triple-doubles, while adding 20 double-doubles. She is joined at the position by freshmen Addie Rossum and Reece Bellush.

"Maya has always been an exceptional volleyball player, she is a good defender, good blocker and good hitter," Tekavec says. "This spring, she turned into an extremely high-level setter. She is becoming crafty, offensive and deceptive. She is running the court extremely well and it has been impressive to watch. Addie is a very talented setter from Minnesota who brings a great dynamic to the team. She's a 5-11 left-handed setter that, like Maya, can also hit. She brings a lot of value in practice and is extremely talented. Reece is another talented freshman. She is scrappy, plays amazing defense and has a very high volleyball IQ. She has been a great addition to our team."

MIDDLE BLOCKERS

The middle blocker position is anchored by the All-Americans Johnson and Morland. Johnson has earned All-American accolades in each of her first three seasons, starting in 2022, when she was named the Region Freshman of the Year and was the only freshman named to a D2CCA All-American team. Morland was the 2024 SAC and Region Player of the Year, earning AVCA second team All-American accolades to go along with third team honors from the D2CCA. Morland and Johnson were the two most efficient hitters in the SAC last year, with Morland ranking fifth in the nation, posting a SAC-record .427 hitting percentage. Johnson also ranked in the top 20 nationally, hitting. 379 to rank second in the conference. The duo combined for 571 kills and 190 blocks. Grace Woodring also saw some time in the middle as a freshman, posting a .476 hitting percentage in 12 sets of action, notching 23 kills and just three errors in 42 attacks. Carson Reeves appeared in five matches during her first season at Wingate.

"Emily somehow has found a way to improve her game after three years of being an All-American caliber player," Tekavec says. "She got better in the spring. She improved her blocking and has become an even more terminal hitter. She is our most disciplined middle blocker, she is a great role model for all the other middles on the team, and is so impressive on both sides of the ball with blocking and hitting. Sydney had an incredible year last year an we expect more of that this year," Tekavec says. "She is so talented, so terminal and just so tough to stop in practice. When we do stop it, we know it takes some kind of extraordinary effort on defense. We expect another high-production, incredibly efficient season. Grace improved a lot during the spring and will be another great option for us in the middle. She is extremely quick from side to side and helps our defense a lot. She is becoming more terminal and efficient offensively. Carson made a huge jump in the spring as well. She improved in every area of her game and is becoming a strong presence on the court as a leader and player."

LEFT/RIGHT SIDE HITTERS

The right side will be anchored by Saye, an All-SAC, All-Region and honorable mention All-American in 2024 that ranked third in the SAC with her .343 hitting percentage, piling up 270 kills. The left side will be led by junior Alanna Vavao along with sophomore Abby Mas. Vavao collected 18 kills last year, with Mas contributing 30 kills and 24 digs as a freshman. Jordan Griffin, along with Van Heyst and Rossum will also see time on the right side. Van Heyst hit .302 last year, piling up 221 kills. Freshman Rylee Tanner will also be a key contributor on the left side, along with her efforts in the back row.

"Gabby is an amazing blocker," Tekavec says. "Her block on the right side has been a huge key to our success, and was a major factor in the region title match last year. She has only improved in that facet. Offensively, she has learned more shots this offseason, becoming a more versatile hitter. Alanna hits the ball harder than anyone on the team. In the last two springs, she has learned how to manage her power, so it will be exciting to watch her be explosive, but also display her high volleyball IQ this year. Abby has the potential to be one of the best outside hitters in the conference. She grew exponentially this spring in all facets of her game. She is passing at a high level, while also blocking and scoring at a high level. She has also become an eraser, giving us the ability to score points out of system to cover up mistakes. With her and Alanna on the pins, we'll have a well-rounded offense. Rylee is a really versatile freshman from Florida. She is a fantastic passer, great defender and also does amazing things offensively. She will play a big role for us this year. This preseason, we've given her a ton of information, and she has taken it and gotten better. Jordan is extremely versatile and can play both on the right and the outside, as well as defend, pass and run from the back row."

LIBERO/DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST

Hoffman will anchor the back line for the 'Dogs once again in 2025. She was an All-SAC, All-Region and honorable mention All-American honoree in 2024, piling up 595 digs to go along with 34 aces. She ranked in the top 20 nationally in digs and digs per set (5.36). Maggie Fillauer appeared in 72 sets last year, collecting 175 digs to average 2.43 digs per set, adding 15 aces on the year. Hailey Green also saw time in 30 sets, notching 21 digs and eight aces. They will be joined by freshmen Anya Pershin and Gabby Lund.

"Maddie has been the vocal leader, the stability, and the heart and passion of our team for over a year," Tekavec says. "This year will be no different. She has become more consistent, and has been a fantastic role model and leader to our defensive specialists. Maggie is a really special defender and is a high-level passer as well. She put in a lot of work this spring to be a constant presence in our defensive core. She makes our hitters better every day. Hailey is going to have a bigger role this year. She is the fastest player I've ever coached, and make special plays. Her defense is contagious and when she makes special plays, others around her want to be special as well. Anya and Gabby are learning and witnessing what it takes to be a high-level libero from the three returners. They are working hard every day to match the consistency of the other three."