Wingate Advances to Saturday's Regional Title Match

Courtesy of Wingate Athletics Media Relations

St. Augustine, Fla.----The second-seeded Wingate University Bulldogs bounced back after dropping the opening set Friday night, prevailing 3-1 over sixth-seeded Georgia College in the 2017 NCAA Southeast Regional semifinals. Wingate won by scores of 19-25, 25-18, 25-23 and 25-16 to improve to 27-3 overall, advancing to the regional title match for the seventh time in the last nine years. Georgia College ends its season at 24-8.   

AVCA Southeast Region Player of the Year Katie Bludau(Seabrook, Texas) hit .283 with 18 kills to lead the Wingate attack, adding five digs and two blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Lynnlee Mather (McDonough, Ga.) hit .500 with 10 kills and six blocks, while senior outside hitter Rachael Cecka (Plymouth, Wisc.) also had 10 kills to go along with two blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Phoebe Havenaar (Naperville, Ill.) contributed nine kills, while freshman right-side hitter Anne Abernathy (Knoxville, Tenn.) had seven kills, five digs, two blocks and two aces. Sophomore setter Rachel Alles (Tinley Park, Ill.) handed out 42 assists to go along with 14 digs, while junior libero Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) collected 19 digs.

"This was a very special win for us," head coach Shelton Collier says. "Once again we had to battle back from being down in the match and our players showed some great qualities battling back and finding a way to win. We had a number of players who really stepped up and played well. Lynnlee Mather filling in for an injured Anna Holmquist and getting 10 kills while hitting .500 was a huge lift for us. We are really excited about earning our way back into the regional championship and we are fired up about winning today to put ourselves in that position."

Ebony Powers had 11 kills and 13 digs to lead the Georgia College offense. Libby Bochniak added 11 kills and 11 digs, while Taylor Svehla also contributed 11 kills for the Bobcats. Emily Crowell chipped in with eight kills, four digs and two blocks, while Kayla Brockway had 42 assists and 13 digs. Chandler Ewaldsen picked up 16 digs on the day.

A kill and a block from Powers gave the Bobcats a 9-6 lead in the opening set, but a kill and a block from Havenaar tied it 9-9. Georgia College scored the next four points, taking a 13-9 advantage on an Emma Boughner kill. A Bludau kill got the 'Dogs within three, but another 4-0 run put the Bobcats on top 18-11, with a Svehla kill capping the spurt. A Havenaar kill and Abernathy ace got the Bulldogs within three at 21-18, but kills from Boughner and Crowell made it 24-19. A Wingate error ended the first set.

A Svehla kill gave Georgia College a 7-3 lead in set two, but the Bulldogs scored the next five points, taking an 8-7 advantage on a Bludau kill. Kills from Bludau and Abernathy, along with a Mather block put Wingate on top 13-10, while back-to-back aces from Adams made it 16-11. A Crowell kill got the Bobcats within three, but back-to-back Bludau kills put the Bulldogs on top 20-15. A Svehla kill made it 20-17, but two more Bludau kills gave the 'Dogs a 22-18 lead. An Abernathy kill and Georgia College error made it 24-18, while a Cecka kill ended the set and tied the match.

Cecka and Havenaar each contributed a kill and a block to give Wingate a 5-1 lead in the third set, but the Bobcats scored nine of the next 10 points, taking a 12-8 lead on a Svehla kill. Kills from Havenaar and Bludau got the Bulldogs within a point, while a Mather kill tied it at 15. Back-to-back kills from Crowell, along with a Powers kill gave Georgia College a 20-17 advantage. An Alles kill and Bludau block got the 'Dogs within one, while two more Bludau kills made it 21-21. A Libby Bochniak kill gave the Bobcats a 22-21 lead, but kills from Mather and Bludau put the 'Dogs on top by one, while another Mather kill made it 24-22. Powers got Georgia College within one, but Wingate went back to Mather, who gave the 'Dogs a 2-1 lead in the match with a kill.

Kills from Mather and Cecka gave Wingate an 11-8 lead in the fourth set, but back-to-back Bochniak kills gave Georgia College a 12-11 advantage. The Bulldogs scored the next six points, getting kills from Cecka and Havenaar to go along with an Abernathy ace to take a 17-12 lead. A Svehla kill got the Bobcats within four, but the 'Dogs scored the next four points, getting a Bludau kill and Havenaar ace to take a 22-14 advantage. A Bludau kill and Alles ace made it 24-15, while Mather capped the match with a kill.

Wingate hit .205 on the day, with 51 kills and 20 errors in 151 attacks. The Bobcats had 48 kills and 31 errors in 156 attacks, hitting .109. Mather led all players with six blocks, while Adams had four of Wingate's eight aces.

The Bulldogs are back in action Saturday, playing in the regional title match for the seventh time in the last nine years. Wingate will face the winner of Friday night's Flagler vs. Anderson match. The Bulldogs are looking to win their fifth regional title since 2010.

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