Box Score NEWBERRY, S.C. – The Queens University of Charlotte volleyball team faced No. 9 Wingate University this afternoon in the semifinal round of the 2013 Food Lion SAC Volleyball Tournament. The Royals (17-11) fell to the Bulldogs (28-2), 3-0, by scores of 25-11, 25-19, and 25-21 having their seven-game win streak snapped. The Bulldogs, seeded first in the tournament, extend their win streak to 25 and advance to the championship game looking for their eighth straight SAC Tournament title.
 
The Royals completed their regular season winning six consecutive games in a row to earn a fifth seed in the conference tournament. After knocking off fourth-seeded Lincoln Memorial University yesterday, the Royals advanced to face on the Bulldogs.
 
In the opening set, the Bulldogs took control following a 2-0 start from the Royals. A 4-0 push would put Wingate ahead before an attack error from Shelly Stumpff and a kill from Anna Gibbs knotted things at 4-4. Seven straight points for the Bulldogs would follow. A kill from Keri Kemp would stop the run, but the Royals were unable to find their momentum as Wingate went on to win the set, 25-11.  
 
The Bulldogs carried their momentum into the second set jumping out to a 12-5 lead before the Royals began to put together a comeback. The Royals began to steal a point here and there, not quite getting into a rhythm until a service ace from Alexa Sparrell sparked a four-point push that brought Queens to within three of the Bulldogs, 22-19. Unfortunately Wingate would snag the next three points to take the 2-0 lead heading into the third set.
 
The Royals fell behind early in the third and were able to catch up due to some mistakes made by the Bulldogs. A service error from Wingate's Alison Cook gave the set an 11-7 score before the Bulldogs found three points in a row to extend their lead to 14-7. Following a timeout by Wingate, Gibbs would put down a kill and pair up with Elizabeth Bialkowski to block an attack from the Bulldogs to bring Queens to within six, 15-9. A 5-1 push would follow for Wingate.
 
With the score sitting at 20-10, Brittany Barren delivered a kill that was followed by two service aces from Sparrell putting things at 20-13 in Wingate's favor. The Bulldogs would break up Queens' scoring, but the Royals would pick back up on a kill from Kemp. A kill from Bialkowski would cap the spurt, making the score 23-17. Susie Murach notched a kill on the next play making their next serve match point, but the Royals weren't ready to back down as Kemp answered with another kill to keep the game going. Taylor Riley would tally a service ace on the next play and a block for Queens would follow, bringing the Royals to within four, 24-20. Following another service ace from Riley, Queens trailed the Bulldogs by three. Two-time SAC Player of the Year Anna Hilton would be the end all, notching a kill on the next play to help her team move on to the championship match.
 
Barren led the Royals attack today with nine kills, while Gibbs added eight. Riley notched 22 assists and Sparrell led in digs with 13.
 
Hilton led the Bulldogs with 14 kills.  
 
The Royals will wait until Monday night at 7:30 p.m., to hear if they have earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament when the selection show airs on NCAA.com