ANDERSON, S.C. – On the strength of a red-hot .395 hitting percentage, the Anderson University volleyball team opened a four-game homestand by shocking league-leading and 23rd-ranked Wingate, 3-0 (25-16, 25-8, 25-14) in South Atlantic Conference action, Friday night at the Abney Athletic Center.
Anderson (10-9, 7-5) began the second half of the conference slate by handing the perennial regional powerhouse just its second regular-season loss, its first regular-season conference loss since last November and just the Bulldog's fourth SAC loss in three years. The victory marked AU's second win in school history over the Bulldogs and the first since 1999, when the Trojans were in their first year as a member of NCAA Division II.
Wingate fell to 19-2 overall and 11-1 with its only other loss coming at the hands of defending national champion Wheeling Jesuit two weeks ago.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Senior Allison Gaminde and freshman Kathryn Hughes shared match-high honors with 10 kills apiece, with Gaminde also chipping in three block assists. Freshman Emily Conlin dished out 26 assists with sophomore Emily Conard coming up with 19 digs. Senior Rachel Burts recorded a solo block and four block assists.
Junior Katie Bludau had nine kills to lead the Wingate attack. Senior Abby Saehler and sophomore Oakley Attaway contributed four kills each, while freshman Rachel Alles had 20 assists and 12 digs. Classmate Treslyn Ortiz collected 10 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The Trojans jumped out to a 7-2 lead and never trailed en route to the nine-point win. Conlin set the tone with an ace to start the match, while Burts posted a pair of block assists in the opening outburst. The Black and Gold steadily built a double-digit, 14-4, advantage behind strong serving from Megan Embry and kills from Gaminde, Jackson and Hughes. The defending SAC regular-season champions trimmed AU's lead to 19-15, but Hughes answered with a kill and Wingate would get no closer down the stretch.
Second Set
Behind the continued strong net play of Gaminde and Burts, the Trojans began the second frame with a 7-2 outburst and surged to a 20-5 advantage on the strength of a 13-2 run.
Third Set
AU carried the momentum into the third set, scoring the first four points of the frame. Wingate cut the Trojan lead to just two, but AU countered with a 9-4 run and claimed a double-digit, 21-11, cushion on a kill from Hughes.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE NIGHT
Gaminde and Hughes combined for 20 kills in 38 attempts with no errors.
NOTABLES
• The sweep marked the first time the Bulldogs had been swept since falling, 3-0, to Grand Valley State in the 2014 NCAA Elite Eight.
• It also marked the first time the Bulldogs had been swept by a conference opponent since at least the 2009 campaign.
• The Trojans did not trail in any of the three sets.
• The Trojans lead the league with 61 solo blocks and rank second in the SAC in assists (866), service aces (118), total blocks (162) and points (1,195), while standing third in the SAC with 1,268 digs.
• Mitter ranks third in the SAC with 234 kills.
• Mitter stands fourth in the SAC with her 3.21 kills per set average.
• Mitter has recorded 10 double-doubles on the season and has posted double-figure kills in 13 contests this season.
• Serena Jackson is second on the squad with 139 kills and is sixth in the SAC with a .286 hitting percentage.
• Burts is fourth in the league with a .296 hitting percentage.
• Burts has reached double-figure kills in four of the last five matches.
• Burts paces the league with 78 total blocks, 23 solo blocks and 55 block assists.
• Conlin has posted eight double-doubles on the season, including four of the last five matches.
• Conlin leads the conference in assists (750) and aces (35), while standing second in assists per set (9.87).
• Conlin has recorded at least 30 assists on 15 occasions this season and has reached the 40+ assist plateau on 10 occasions.
• Conard has tallied double-figure digs in all but one match this season and ranks fourth in the SAC with 350 digs and seventh with a 4.61 digs per set average.
UP NEXT
Anderson plays host to conference-foe Coker and defending Conference Carolinas' Champion Erskine Saturday afternoon. First-serve versus the Cobras is set for 2 p.m.
