WISE – "Survive and Advance." A phrase that is being bandied around the UVA Wise campus, and the volleyball program in particular right now. It's one that hasn't applied to the volleyball program since 2016, but one that Cavs fans should get used to because for the first time ever the UVA Wise Highland Cavaliers are playing in the South Atlantic Conference Tournament.

The program is no stranger to the postseason, compiling a 16-28 record over 17 seasons. They earned a spot in the Mountain East Conference Tournament three times in six seasons and played in two Mid-South Conference Tournaments and twelve Appalachian Athletic Conference/Tennessee-Virginia Athletic Conference Tournaments since the TVAC/AAC began tournament play in 1998.

The team enters the tournament as the eight seed and will face top-seeded Wingate on the Bulldogs' home court Tuesday evening at 7 p.m.

GETTING WISE
- UVA Wise earned their way into the program's first-ever SAC Tournament by having the program's best record in SAC play (6-12) since joining the conference in 2019 and having their best overall record since 2015.
- The Cavs are averaging 11.8 kills a set, while their opponents are slightly higher with 12.5. Opponents are out-hitting UVA Wise .164-.131.
- Kaylee Scarce leads the team with 271 kills (3.04 kills per set), which ranks her fourth in the SAC. She currently has 850 kills for her career, which ranks her seventh all-time. She also is second on the team this season in digs with 290 and has 990 digs for her career. That ranks her at ninth all-time (one dig behind Brianna Kerr's 991 from 2016-19) and should she break 1,000 would be the eighth player in school history to do so.
- Cassidy Farley leads the SAC and the team in blocks with 1.29 a set (124 overall) and is 17^th overall and 14^th among active career leaders in the NCAA Division II.
- Abigail Curtis is second in the SAC in total digs (475) and fourth in digs per set (4.95). She leads the team in those categories and is 43^rd in the NCAA in total digs and 46^th in digs per set.
- Piper Suddeth leads the team in assists (455) and is third in digs with 259.

ABOUT WINGATE
- The Bulldogs are 25-2 overall and the only blemish on their SAC record is a 3-2 loss at LMU on Sept. 20.
- Wingate is out-hitting opponents .303-.121 on the season and have 1,380 kills to 919 by the opposition. They also have more than twice as many aces (190-91) and are averaging 17.5 digs per set compared to 14.8 by their opponents.
- Four Bulldogs have more than 200 kills this season, led by Sydney Morland (249). Emily Johnson (225), Gabby Saye (222), and Lorna Stacherski (206) are the others.
- Maddie Hoffman (470), Maya Van Heyst (284), and Elsa Lamphere (233) lead the team in digs.
- Morland also leads the team in blocks with 73, followed by Johnson with 72.
- This will be the 18^th time in the past 19 seasons that Wingate has earned the top seed.

UP NEXT
The winner will face the winner of #4 Mars Hill vs. #5 Carson-Newman in the Tournament Semifinals at 4:30 p.m. in the Rock Hill Sports & Events Center in Rock Hill, South Carolina.