FLORENCE, S.C. – The Anderson University volleyball team stumbled twice on Saturday at the Francis Marion Invitational, falling 3-1 (21-25, 23-25, 25-22, 17-25) to Emmanuel and dropping a 3-2 (25-23, 17-25, 25-19, 22-25, 11-15) decision to Barton at the Smith University Center.
Anderson fell to 4-4 on the season with its third consecutive setback, while Emmanuel improved to 2-5 on the season with a win in the first-ever meeting between the two programs and Barton moved to 3-6 on the year..
Emmanuel
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Junior Serena Jackson led the Trojans offensively with 13 kills, while junior Marissa Mitter added eight kills and nine digs. Senior Allison Gaminde posted seven kills, five block assists and four digs on the morning. Freshman Emily Conlin, the reigning SAC Specialist of the Week, recorded a double-double with 35 assists, 12 digs and five service aces. Sophomore Megan Embry tallied 11 digs in the setback.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The Trojans hit just .029 in the opening set and were unable to overcome a slow start after falling behind, 9-2. AU trimmed the deficit to just 18-16, but could get no closer the rest of the way.
Second Set
Anderson jumped out to an 8-1 lead behind strong serving from Rachel Mackey and solid defense at the net, but was unable to hold the advantage, as the Lions six unanswered points to turn a 14-9 deficit into a one-point lead. The frame was tied six more times down the stretch, with Emmanuel snapping a 23-23 deadlock with two consecutive points for the win.
Third Set
The Trojans bounced back to claim the third set with Jackson notching three kills in the frame. Neither team led by more than three points, with AU rallying from a 20-17 deficit, as Conlin posted two aces during the comeback.
Fourth Set
Anderson claimed an early 5-1 advantage, but the Lions steadily chipped away and staked a 13-10 lead on an ace. The Trojans battled back to cut the Emmanuel lead to just 13-12, but the Lions countered with a 6-2 run and claimed the eight-point win.
Barton
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Mitter notched 16 kills, with senior Rachel Burts tallying a season-high 15 kills and four block assists. Freshman Kathryn Hughes added eight kills. Conlin added 44 assists, while Emily Conard came up with 21 digs and Embry added 10 digs and Gaminde recorded four block assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The opening set was tied 16 times before AU broke a 20-20 deadlock on an attack error by the Bulldogs. Junior Mallory McFerron's kill gave the Black and Gold a two-point edge and AU held on for the victory.
Second Set
The Bulldogs posted a .389 hitting percentage and never trailed en route to the eight-point win.
Third Set
The Trojans reversed their fortunes in the third frame by notching an impressive .484 hitting percentage. With Katie Lloyd serving, AU gained some separation with four unanswered points and closed the set with three consecutive points.
Fourth Set
AU was unable to overcome an early four-point deficit and hit just .075. The Trojans trimmed a late six-point Barton lead to just two, but were unable to overtake the Bulldogs.
Fifth Set
The Trojans took their last lead of the set (8-7) on a service error by the Bulldogs, but Barton answered with three straight points to take a lead it would not relinquish.
ANDERSON STATS OF THE DAY
Senior Rachel Burts notched 21 kills and 11 total blocks on the day.
NOTES
- The Trojan defense posted five solo blocks and 26 block assists on the day.
- Mitter has three double-doubles in seven matches.
- Jackson reached double-figure kills in three of the four matches at Francis Marion.
- Jackson ranks fourth in the South Atlantic Conference with a team-high .389 hitting percentage on the season.
- Burts is fourth in the SAC with 29 total blocks.
UP NEXT
Anderson wraps up its season-opening nine-game road swing by visiting South Atlantic Conference opponent Newberry Tuesday night. First-serve versus the Wolves is set for 7 p.m.
