ROCK HILL, S.C. - Lenoir-Rhyne volleyball fell 3-0 to Wingate in the SAC Championship on Saturday afternoon. 

This was the second straight year the Bears and Bulldogs met in the SAC Championship, with Wingate winning both games. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Wingate 3, Lenoir-Rhyne 0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-20)
Records: Wingate (27-1, 18-0 SAC), Lenoir-Rhyne (22-7, 14-4 SAC)
Location: Rock Hill, S.C. | Rock Hill Sports and Events Center

STORY OF THE MATCH: 

• Wingate came out firing, going up 11-5 early in the opening set. 
• A Kayli Cleaver kill cut the lead to 19-15, but the Bulldogs closed strong to take the opening set.
• Lenoir-Rhyne kept things within reach throughout the entirety of the second set, but the Bulldogs were just too strong and went up 2-0.
• The Bears were right with Wingate in the third set, as an Averie Dale block tied things up at 11-11.
• Tied at 12, Wingate essentially won the championship with a 7-0 run, going up 19-12.
• Lenoir-Rhyne made a late charge with a 6-1 run but it was too little too late.

STATS OF THE GAME:

• Emmaleigh Allen (11) was the lone Bear with double figure kills.
• Hadley Prince had a game high 20 digs.
• Emmie Modlin and Alicia Barbarito combined for 33 assists.
• The Bears hit .181 as a team, compared to .310 for the Bulldogs.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• This was Wingate's 15th SAC Tournament title in the last 20 years.
• The Bears also fell 3-0 to Wingate in last year's championship. 
• Wingate is currently on a 10 game winning streak over Lenoir-Rhyne.

UP NEXT: Lenoir-Rhyne will now wait to hear their name called for the NCAA Tournament on Monday night at 7:30 on ncaa.com. A virtual lock for the tournament, the Bears are sitting at the #3 spot and could jump up to #2. While not official yet, Wingate is a virtual lock for the #1 seed in the region and hosting duties.