HICKORY, N.C. - With four players reaching double-figure kills, the No. 3 seed Anderson University volleyball team advanced to the finals of the 2014 South Atlantic Conference Tournament with a five-set, 3-2 (17-25, 25-15, 25-19, 23-25, 17-15) upset of second-seeded Carson-Newman, Saturday night at Lenoir-Rhyne's Shuford Gymnasium.

"Tonight was an incredible battle," said Anderson head coach Craig Mosqueda. "We started off a little slow but got all the cylinders going in sets three and four. One thing we told the team is that we needed to play incredible defense and we did. We also needed our outsides to get double-digit kills and they did. This was a great team effort and I am proud of this team. We are truly excited to be back in the conference finals."

Anderson (25-7) advances to the conference championship tilt for the second straight season and will face top-seeded Wingate for the second time in as many years. The Trojans have set a new school record for wins in a season on the strength of claiming victories in 12 of their last 14 matches and knocked off the Lady Eagles for the first time this season, while avenging a pair of regular-season setbacks.

Carson-Newman, ranked fifth in the latest NCAA Southeast region rankings, fell to 26-6 on the season with just its third loss to a SAC team this season. The Lady Eagles will await Sunday night's NCAA Selection Show to learn their NCAA postseason fate.

Senior outside hitter Shannon Gillespie led all players with 22 kills on the night, while notching her ninth double-double of the season by adding a season-best 27 digs. Freshman Marissa Mitter knocked down a career-high 14 kills and recorded four block assists, with fellow freshman Kendall Vallancourt posting her first career double-double with 11 kills and a career-best 10 digs. Senior Hailey Pittman added 10 kills and four block assists, while sophomore Priscilla Irizarry recorded her 16th double-double of the campaign by dishing out 53 assists and coming up with 17 digs. Senior Alix Hooker notched 19 digs with senior Kelley Lacey collecting 13 digs. Sophomore Jessica Harris tallied five total blocks on the night.

The Trojans struggled in the opening set, hitting just .081 on the frame. Carson-Newman jumped out to an early 7-2 lead and AU was unable to completely recover. The Trojans climbed within 13-9, but would get no closer, as the Lady Eagles posted a 4-1 run to push out to a 17-10 advantage and claimed a double-digit lead, at 22-12, before finishing out the set with the eight-point win.

After the Lady Eagles scored the first two points of the second set, AU answered with a 6-1 run to take an early three-point lead and force a Carson-Newman timeout. Gillespie triggered the early outburst, while Vallancourt added a kill and back-to-back Lady Eagle errors fueled the run. Vallancourt and Harris combined for a block to snap a 10-10 deadlock and spark another Trojan run, as AU captured an 18-13 lead and held off Carson-Newman for the double-digit decision with a .361 hitting percentage.

Anderson captured its second straight set victory in the third frame by holding the Lady Eagles to a .102 hitting percentage for the set. AU scored four unanswered points to open the frame and never trailed. C-N edged as close as 11-8 before Gillespie slowed the Lady Eagles with a kill and Harris followed with a kill and a solo block. Anderson earned a 17-10 lead on the strength of a 6-2 surge and the Lady Eagles would get no closer than five the rest of the way.

Carson-Newman took the early momentum in the fourth set by taking a quick 5-2 advantage and, while the set was tied once, at seven apiece, the Trojans were unable to overtake Carson-Newman. The Lady Eagles garnered a seven-point lead twice and held a seemingly comfortable 10-point cushion, at 22-12, before having to fend off a furious rally by AU down the stretch. Facing the double-digit deficit, the Trojans posted a 10-1 outburst to climb within 23-22. Mitter began the unlikely rally with a kill and a service ace, with Pittman following a kill by Gillespie with a pair of aces. AU managed to hold off set point twice, but C-N won the set on a kill from Jenna Wilson.

With Irizarry serving, the Trojans claimed an early 5-2 lead in the fifth and deciding set. Carson-Newman battled back to even the score at 6-6 and took a 9-7 advantage on the strength of a 5-1 run before AU evened the score at nine apiece. The frame was knotted on five more occasions, with Vallancourt giving the Trojans a lead they would not relinquish with her final kill of the night and AU captured the win on a Carson-Newman miscue.

The Trojans will look for their second straight upset and their first win over Wingate since Oct. 1, 1999, when the Trojans were in their first year as a member of NCAA Division II. First-serve versus the 12th-ranked and top-seeded Bulldogs is set for 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon.