ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson University volleyball team will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing five-set loss two nights ago when the Trojans open a two-match South Atlantic Conference road swing through the Tar Heel State Friday night at Catawba.
First-serve slated for 7 p.m. in Salisbury, N.C., with the Trojans concluding the first half of the league's double round-robin slate at Queens in a 2 p.m. contest on Saturday.
The Trojans
Anderson (9-7, 6-3 SAC), which has dropped two of its last three decisions, is tied for fourth place in the conference alongside Newberry, with both teams a half-game behind Queens and two games in front of sixth-place Catawba.
As a team, Anderson is second in the conference with 782 digs, 737 assists, 1,095 digs and 139 total blocks on the season.
Junior Marissa Mitter ranks second in the SAC with a team-high 208 kills and is fifth with her 3.35 kills per set average. She has posted nine double-doubles on the season and has tallied double-figure kills in 12 contests this season. Classmate Serena Jackson is second on the squad with 124 kills and is second in the league with her team-high .308 hitting percentage.
Freshman setter Emily Conlin is coming off her sixth double-double this season and continues to lead the conference in both assists (642) and assists per set (9.88). She equaled the ninth-highest total in school history for assists in a single match with 60 in the come-from-behind win over Tusculum last Friday. She has recorded at least 30 assists on 13 occasions this season and has reached the 40+ assist plateau on eight occasions. The Glendale, Ariz., native is on pace to reach the top-10 in the school record books for assists in a single season.
Sophomore Emily Conard has tallied double-figure digs in 15 matches this season and ranks second in the SAC with 303 digs and seventh with a 4.66 digs per set average. Senior Rachel Burts continues to lead the league with 19 solo blocks and 64 total blocks, while standing second with 45 block assists.
The Indians
Catawba (6-8, 4-5 SAC) has won two of its last three outings and four of its last six, while claiming three home wins on the season. The Lady Indians open a rare four-match conference homestand with Friday night's contest, and like the Trojans, will wrap up the first half of the conference season when they play host to Newberry Saturday afternoon.
Catawba was tabbed sixth in the South Atlantic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll after posting a 15-15 overall record and a 12-10 mark in the league a season ago. The Lady Indians earned the fifth seed in the 2015 SAC Tournament and were eliminated by fourth-seeded Lincoln Memorial in the quarterfinals.
Senior Bri Howard, who earned second team All-SAC honors a year ago, was named to the SAC Preseason Second Team for 2016. Howard posted 177 kills over her 22 matches last year and averaged 2.21 per set. She hit at a .271 clip and led the team in blocking at 1.11 per set, collecting 89 total blocks with 15 solo.
The Lady Indians also returned senior starters Alex Hopper and McKenzie Garrison. Hopper returned from a 2014 injury and led the team with 245 kills last season. Garrison collected 223 kills and posted 313 digs.
The Series vs. Catawba
The Trojans and Lady Indians have met just 12 times, all as members of the South Atlantic Conference. AU holds an 8-4 advantage in the overall series, and had won seven straight over Catawba before the Lady Indians swept AU in the second regular-season matchup in Salisbury a year ago. Anderson had swept both regular-season matchups from 2012-14 after Catawba swept both meetings during the 2011 season. The teams split the regular-season matchups during Anderson's inaugural season in the league in 2010.
The Royals
Queens (9-4, 6-2 SAC) is alone in third place in the league standings, a half-game in front of both Anderson and Newberry. The Royals have won eight of their last 10 outings, while seeing their five-match win streak halted with a setback at Lincoln Memorial last Saturday.
The Royals were predicted to finish seventh in the South Atlantic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll following a season that saw QUC finish with a 13-16 overall record and an 11-11 mark in conference play. The Royals earned the sixth seed in the SAC Tournament and were eliminated by eventual champion Lenoir-Rhyne.
Outside hitter Meredith Jones is back for her senior campaign, while earning SAC Preseason First-Team All-Conference accolades. She tallied 349 kills last year for the sixth-highest total in the league, while averaging 2.98 kills per set. Jones posted 44 service aces, which ranked fourth in the conference. She rounded out the season with 56 total blocks and 256 digs.
The Series vs. Queens
The Trojans are 23-9 versus Queens over the past 18 seasons and have won 20 of the last 23 meetings. The two teams have met just six times since 2009, when both were members of Conference Carolinas, with Queens joining the SAC in 2013. The Trojans swept the regular-season meetings last year. AU and Queens split each of the 2013 and 2014 regular-season matchups, with each squad winning on the other's home court in 2013 and defending their home court in 2014. Three of the last six meetings have been five-set affairs.
