NEWBERRY, S.C. - Despite freshman Shannon Gillespie's fifth double-double of the season, the Anderson volleyball team dropped a 3-0 (25-20, 26-24, 30-28) decision to Newberry in South Atlantic Conference action Tuesday night at Eleazer Arena.

Anderson (5-15, 3-7 SAC) opened conference play in early September by rallying from a two-set deficit to defeat the Wolves, 3-2, but in a contest that was closer than the final score would indicate, Newberry (10-10, 3-7) avenged that setback and has won three of its last four outings.

Neither team was able to build more than a four-point lead until late in the opening set, with the Wolves pushing out to a 16-12 advantage, only to see AU answer with four unanswered points to knot the score for the seventh time and force a Newberry timeout.
The Wolves responded with an 8-2 run to gain a 24-18 edge and a lead they would not relinquish.

Anderson rallied from a three-point deficit midway through the second set to gain a pair of one-point advantages and pushed out to a 23-20 lead behind strong defense and a pair of kills from Gillespie, but Newberry posted a late rally with a 6-1 run to earn the victory.

The third and final frame was even closer than the first two, with the Wolves jumping out to a quick 5-1 lead, but AU refused to go away quietly, chipping away at the NC lead and eventually tying the score at 7-7. Newberry responded with a 6-2 run to gain a 13-9 edge, but the Trojans stayed close and rallied to knot the score at 22 apiece, before taking a late 24-22 advantage on back-to-back kills from Gillespie and Hailey Pittman.

The lead changed hands five more times in the final moments before the Wolves scored three consecutive points to collect the win.

Gillespie lead AU with 15 kills, while adding 11 digs on the defensive side. Pittman and sophomore Joy Hiller each notched eight kills, while freshman Meghan Cautero handed out a match-high 27 assists and Alix Hooker recorded 14 digs.

Anderson returns home for a three-match homestand over the weekend, with the Trojans playing host to Lenoir-Rhyne on Friday, then facing Brevard on Saturday at 1 p.m. Following a matchup between Brevard and Francis Marion, the Trojans will square off against FMU at 5 p.m.