HARROGATE, Tenn. – Lincoln Memorial hit .371 in the opening set, then held off a determined Anderson University volleyball team, 3-1 (25-17, 23-25, 25-23, 25-21) in South Atlantic Conference play, Saturday afternoon at Mars Gymnasium.
Anderson slipped to 13-11 overall and 9-7 in the conference with its second loss in three outings, while Lincoln Memorial (18-4, 12-2 SAC), which was upended in five sets by streaking Newberry Friday night, wrapped up a three-match homestand with the win. LMU swept the season series for the second consecutive year and has won 10 of its last 12 matches.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Junior Marissa Mitter was the lone Trojan to reach double-figure kills, with a match-high 17 and narrowly missed earning her 14th double-double of the season with nine digs. Freshman Kathryn Hughes added nine kills and a pair of blocks, with junior Serena Jackson tallying seven kills and two block assists. Freshman setter Emily Conlin posted a double-double with 38 assists and 11 digs, while chipping in five block assists. Sophomore Emily Conard collected a match-high 24 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The host Lady Railsplitters were hitting .455 midway through the opening frame and used an 8-3 run to turn a 10-8 edge into a seven-point advantage. Hughes' first block of the afternoon slowed the Lady Railsplitters' surge, but LMU maintained the margin and went on claim the eight-point win.
Second Set
The second frame featured 10 ties, but only three lead changes with Lincoln Memorial scoring three straight points as part of a 5-1 run to snap an 8-8 deadlock. The Lady Railsplitters pushed out to a six-point advantage – their largest of the set – twice, before AU posted a 7-1 outburst to knot the score for the eighth time, at 21 apiece. Mitter and Jackson combined for three kills during the comeback, but the Trojans were unable to wrestle the lead away from LMU, which snapped a 23-23 tie with back-to-back points to claim the win.
Third Set
The Trojans, who are 4-2 in five set matches this season, refused to go away quietly, as they outhit Lincoln Memorial to win the third frame. The Lady Railsplitters gained an early lead, but were unable to gain more than a three-point advantage before a kill from Rachel Burts gave AU its first lead, at 12-11. The edge was sort-lived however, as the set was twice on two more occasions before Jackson knocked down a kill to give the Black and Gold a lead it would not relinquish, at 14-13. The Trojans built a four-point lead and held on for the two-point victory.
Fourth Set
After trailing by two points early (6-4), the Trojans reeled off 10 unanswered points as part of a larger 14-4 outburst that saw AU gain an 18-10 advantage. Conlin and senior Jessica Harris combined on a pair of blocks, with Harris contributing another kill during the run. But LMU countered by closing the frame on a 15-3 run of its own.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE GAME
Harris posted six kills in 10 attempts with no errors for a .600 hitting percentage.
NOTABLES
• Conard has tallied double-figure digs in 22 contests this season.
• Mitter has recorded 13 double-doubles this season, including three in the last five matches.
• Rachel Burts has reached double-figure kills in eight of the last 10 contests.
• Mitter has posted double-figure kills in 17 contests this season.
• Conlin has posted at least 30 assists in 19 matches this season and has reached the 40+ assist plateau on 11 occasions.
• Conlin has tallied double-doubles in four consecutive matches and has 12 double-doubles on the season.
UP NEXT
Anderson will be looking to get back in the win column Friday, when the Trojans play host to Lenoir-Rhyne. First-serve versus the Bears at the Abney Athletic Center is set for 7 p.m.
