Rock Hill, S.C.----The fourth-seeded Wingate University Bulldogs bounced back after dropping the opening set Tuesday afternoon, winning the next three sets en route to a 3-1 victory over fifth-seeded Lincoln Memorial in the quarterfinals of the 2026 South Atlantic Conference volleyball tournament. Wingate won by scores of 20-25, 28-26, 25-22 and 25-23 to improve to 18-11 overall, advancing to the semifinals to take on top-seeded Anderson on Wednesday. The Railsplitters fall to 15-12 on the year.
KEY STATS
- Wingate had 59 kill and 25 errors in 169 attacks, hitting .201
- LMU had 57 kills and 22 errors in 160 swings to hit .219
- The Bulldogs had 10 of the 16 aces
- Each team had 10 blocks
- The Railsplitters held a 74-72 edge in digs
- WU had 14 kills or more in each of the final three sets, hitting .273 with 19 kills in the second
KEY BULLDOGS
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Lillian Edwards piled up 19 kills and 10 digs, adding a block and an ace
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Grace Woodring hit .391 with 11 kills, six blocks, four digs and an ace
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Abby Mas added 11 kills, two digs, a block and an ace
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Tori Leggiero hit .308 with six kills, four digs and a block
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Rylee Tanner had four kills, eight digs, a block and an ace
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Alanna Vavao contributed three kills
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Addie Rossum registered 22 assists, a dig, a block and four kills
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Reece Bellush handed out 24 assists, adding two digs and an ace
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Hailey Green had 19 digs and five assists
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Rylee Lambert contributed eight digs, two aces and a kill
SET ONE
- A Leggiero kill and Tanner ace gave Wingate an 11-7 lead
- A Mas kill made it 12-8
- LMU scored the next eight, taking a 16-12 lead on back-to-back Lauren Pickett aces
- Kills from Woodring and Rossum, along with a Vavao block cut the lead to one
- A Kaitlyn Johnson kill gave the Railsplitters a 19-16 advantage
- Back-to-back LMU errors cut the lead to one at 19-18
- Lincoln Memorial scored the next four, taking a 23-18 lead on a Johnson kill
- A Georgia Dobson block made it 24-20; An Aaliyah Rodgers kill ended the set
SET TWO
- A Dobson block gave the Railsplitters a 7-4 lead in set two
- Wingate scored the next four, with back-to-back Edwards kills giving WU an 8-7 advantage
- Johnson's kill put LMU on top 15-12
- Vavao's kill cut the lead to two, but two Lauren Jacob aces made it 18-13
- Mas cut the lead to four with a kill, but LMU scored the next three, taking a 21-14 lead on Dobson's kill
- A Johnson kill gave Lincoln Memorial a 22-15 cushion
- A Woodring ace and Edwards kill made it 22-18, but a Finley Sparks kill pushed the lead back to five
- The Bulldogs scored the next five to tie it at 23
- Rossum and Mas started the flurry with kills, while a Mas block and LMU error ended it
- The Railsplitters went back on top with a Jazmine Starks kill, but a Mas kill tied it at 24
- A Sparks kill made it 25-24, but a Leggiero kill tied it at 25
- Lincoln Memorial regained the lead on a WU error, but Lambert's kill tied it at 26
- Mas put the 'Dogs on top with an ace; a Woodring kill gave Wingate the set
SET THREE
- Kills from Mas and Edwards gave the Bulldogs an 11-10 advantage
- A Rodgers kill capped a 4-1 LMU lead that gave the Railsplitters a 16-14 lead
- A Tanner kill and Woodring block tied it at 17, but a Sparks kill put Lincoln Memorial back on top
- A Woodring kill and LMU error gave WU the lead, but a Sarah Robbins kill tied it at 19
- Wingate scored the next four to take a 23-19 advantage
- A service error started the spurt, while two blocks and a kill from Woodring gave WU a four-point lead
- Johnson's kill cut the lead to two at 23-21, but a service error gave Wingate a 24-21 edge
- Edwards ended the set with a kill to give the 'Dogs a 2-1 lead in the match
SET FOUR
- Kills from Leggiero and Mas sparked a 4-0 run that gave the Bulldogs a 13-9 lead in the fourth
- Johnson's block pulled the Railsplitters within two at 14-12
- A Tanner kill and two Woodring kills put the 'Dogs on top 16-14
- Back-to-back Edwards kills gave Wingate a 19-16 cushion
- LMU scored the next three, tying it at 19 on a Johnson kill
- A Mas kill and
Kaity Coan ace gave the Bulldogs a 21-19 advantage
- Johnson's kill cut the lead to one, but a Tanner kill and LMU error made it 23-20
- Dobson's kill pulled Lincoln Memorial back within two, but a Tanner kill made it 24-21
- A Rodgers kill and Wingate error cut the lead to one at 24-23
- Edwards ended the match with her 19th kill
UP NEXT
- Wingate will face top-seeded Anderson Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. in the semifinals
- The winner advances to the championship match Thursday at 7 p.m.
- Every match takes place at the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center
