ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson volleyball team saw its win streak halted at three, as visiting Newberry swept the Trojans, 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-18) in South Atlantic Conference play Tuesday night at the Abney Athletic Center.
Anderson (12-10, 8-6 SAC) dropped into fifth place in the conference standings, while Newberry (12-10, 9-5 SAC) assumed sole possession of fourth place in the league standings with its third straight victory. The Wolves also snapped a seven-game skid at the hands of the Trojans.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Senior Rachel Burts shared match-high honors with 11 kills, while adding five total blocks and recording a team-best .375 hitting percentage. Senior Allison Gaminde posted seven kills, with freshman Emily Conlin handing out 27 assists. Sophomore Emily Conard shared match-high honors with 17 digs, while Conlin added 11 digs for her 10th double-double of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The first set featured five ties but saw just two lead changes, as Mitter broke a 5-5 deadlock with her first kill of the night and the Wolves followed with an error, with Burts posting her second block to give the Black and Gold a three-point edge. With Anderson later clinging to a 13-12 advantage, the Wolves posted an 8-1 run to push out to an insurmountable lead. The Trojans pulled within four on an attack error by the Wolves, but AU would get no closer down the stretch.
Second Set
After Newberry jumped out to an early 7-3 lead, Gaminde sparked a 6-2 run with her first kill of the set. The Trojans took advantage of a pair of Wolves' errors, an ace from sophomore Megan Embry and a kill by Burts to even the score at nine apiece, but Newberry responded with a 9-3 outburst to claim a lead they would not surrender.
The Trojans rallied to within just 19-18 behind kills from four different Trojans, but Newberry countered with four unanswered points to build a five-point advantage.
Third Set
The Trojans were unable to overcome nine attack errors in the frame and hit just .022. After the Wolves grabbed an 8-5 lead, AU trimmed the deficit to just one on three occasions, but was unable to overtake the Wolves, who built their largest lead of the night late in the set.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE NIGHT
The 10 total blocks marked AU's eighth match with double-figure blocks and the first since the Oct. 8 setback at Queens.
NOTABLES
• Mitter has recorded two double-doubles in the last three matches and has a dozen double-doubles on the season, while posting double-figure kills in 15 contests this season.
• Burts has reached double-figure kills in the last three matches and seven of the last eight outings.
• Conlin has posted at least 30 assists on 17 occasions this season and has reached the 40+ assist plateau on 10 occasions.
• Kathryn Hughes has posted double figures twice in the last five matches.
• Conard has tallied double-figure digs in 20-of-22 matches this season.
• Conlin has posted back-to-back double-doubles and has 10 on the season.
UP NEXT
Anderson will open a two-game league road swing Friday at Carson-Newman. First-serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Jefferson City, Tenn.
