Volleyball | 11/16/2014 9:13:00 PM

Interactive Bracket    Printable Bracket

Indianapolis, Ind.----For the sixth time in seven years, the 12th-ranked Wingate University Bulldogs will be the number one team and host school in the NCAA Southeast Region volleyball tournament. The nine-time defending SAC regular season and tournament champion Bulldogs enter tournament play at 31-2 overall after going 21-1 in conference play. The regionals will begin Thursday, Nov. 20 at 12 p.m. in Cuddy Arena. Wingate will provide Free HD video for every contest, along with live stats.

The two-time defending regional champion Bulldogs will face eighth-seeded Erskine, the Conference Carolinas Tournament champion. The 20th-ranked Armstrong State Pirates are the number two seed. Armstrong won the Peach Belt regular season and tournament titles this season. The Pirates will face seventh-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne University. USC Aiken is the number three seed. The Pacers will face sixth-seeded Carson-Newman in the quarterfinals. GRU Augusta is the number four seed and will take on fifth-seeded Anderson.

The regionals will take place in Cuddy Arena on the campus of Wingate University. The three-day event will begin Thursday, Nov. 20 at 12 p.m. The regional semifinals will take place on Friday, Nov. 21, with the regional title match on Saturday, Nov. 22.

"NCAA tournament week is definitely the most exciting and motivating time of the year for our sport," head coach Shelton Collier says. "It is especially exciting to host the regional on our campus. There will be eight teams here, each with the goal of winning three matches and our players are excited about our opportunity. We plan to be well-prepared for Thursday night and build off the momentum we have coming off our conference tournament performance."

The Bulldogs hosted the regional for the first time in 2008. Wingate reached the regional finals for the first time in 2009, while winning its first-ever regional championship in 2010. The Bulldogs have won each of the last two regional titles, appearing in the NCAA Elite Eight three times in the last four years. Wingate earns an NCAA Tournament bid for a SAC-record 10th consecutive year.

Wingate enters the tournament after sweeping its way to a ninth consecutive SAC Tournament. The Bulldogs swept Newberry Friday, getting 10 kills from All-SAC middle blocker Abby Saehler (Iowa City, Iowa) and nine kills from All-SAC right-side hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa). Stumpff and Saehler had 10 kills each in Saturday's sweep over Lenoir-Rhyne, while All-SAC setter Alison Cooke (Davidson, N.C.) had 36 assists, nine digs and four blocks. Stumpff piled up 17 kills in the title match, leading Wingate to a 3-0 win against Anderson. Saehler and all-conference outside hitter Susie Murach (Burke, Va.) had 11 kills each, while Cooke had 43 assists, 14 digs, three blocks and three kills. Freshman libero Kori Adams (Ayden, N.C.) collected 26 digs. Cooke was named the tournament MVP, while Saehler and Stumpff also earned All-SAC Tournament honors.

For more information on this week's event, check wingatebulldogs.com. A Southeast Region page will be available on Monday.

NCAA Southeast Region Schedule
Thursday, Nov. 20 – at Cuddy Arena, Wingate University
12 p.m. - #3 USC Aiken vs. #6 Carson-Newman
2:30 p.m. - #2 Armstrong State vs. #7 Lenoir-Rhyne
5 p.m. - #4 GRU Augusta vs. #5 Anderson
7:30 p.m. - #1 Wingate vs. #8 Erskine
Friday, Nov. 21 – at Cuddy Arena, Wingate University
5 p.m. – Match One Winner vs. Match Two Winner
7:30 p.m. – Match Three Winner vs. Match Four Winner
Saturday, Nov. 22 – at Cuddy Arena, Wingate University
5 p.m. – Region Championship Match