GREENVILLE, Tenn. – Behind its fourth-highest hitting percentage of the season, the Anderson volleyball team opened its final regular-season road swing by blanking Tusculum, 3-0 (25-15, 25-23, 26-24) Friday night at Pioneer Arena.
Anderson improved to 16-11 overall and 12-7 in the South Atlantic Conference with its third straight victory and seventh win in its last nine outings. Tusculum fell to 11-16 overall and 6-13 in the SAC with its sixth setback in seven decisions.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Junior Marissa Mitter led all players with 12 kills and added 14 digs for her 16th double-double of the campaign. Senior Allison Gaminde tallied nine kills on a .500 hitting percentage, with Rachel Burts and junior Serena Jackson adding eight kills apiece. Burts also recorded five total blocks on the night. Freshman Kathryn Hughes chipped in seven kills. Freshman Emily Conlin posted 38 assists and 12 digs for her 15th double-double of the season, while sophomore Emily Conard led all players with 16 digs. Sophomore Jayln Knight came up with nine digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The Trojans scored the first five points of the frame to force a Tusculum timeout, but the break didn't slow the Black and Gold outburst, as AU posted the next four points as well and built a double-digit 14-2 cushion, fueled by an .800 hitting percentage. Gaminde posted three kills during the decisive opening moments, with Burts and Mitter each adding a pair of kills.
The Pioneers countered with three unanswered points to trim AU's lead to single digits and climbed within 16-9 before Jackson answered with her first kill. The Trojans doubled up Tusculum, 20-10, and steadily rebuilt its lead to 11 before claiming the 10-point win, with Gaminde, Mitter and Hughes each tallying four kills and the team finishing with a .355 hitting percentage.
Second Set
The second set was tied twice early and featured six ties overall, with AU taking its first lead, at 4-3, on Gaminde's sixth kill of the night. The score was knotted on two more occasions before Hughes knocked down a kill to spark a 3-0 run to give the Trojans a 10-7 lead. AU pushed out to a 12-8 advantage on Burts' fourth kill of the match only to see the homestanding Pioneers climb within 12-10 before Mitter slowed the run with a kill. TC stayed close, however and trimmed the deficit to 15-14 to force an AU timeout. With the set even at 18 apiece, Mitter and Conlin recorded back-to-back kills to give the Trojans a two-point edge and an advantage they would not surrender, holding the Pioneers at bay down the stretch.
Third Set
The Trojans were unable to sustain the momentum in the early going of the third set, with Tusculum scoring four straight as part of a 7-1 outburst to open the frame. AU climbed as close as three, at 8-5 on a kill from Mitter, but TC responded by doubling up the Trojans at 12-6. AU again trimmed the deficit to just three twice before Jessica Harris' second kill of the match pulled the Trojans within 14-12. AU crawled back to 15-14, before overtaking the Pioneers with 4-1 surge. The frame was tied seven times in the closing moments before the Trojans snapped 24-24 deadlock by capitalizing on back-to-back attack errors by the Pioneers.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE NIGHT
The Trojans are five games above .500 for the fourth time since joining the SAC in 2010 and the first time since the 2014 team opened the season with a 12-3 record. The 2013 squad climbed to 19-14 with a win over Tusculum in the NCAA Tournament. AU's 2010 team opened the season with five consecutive victories.
NOTABLES
• Conlin has recorded seven consecutive double-doubles and has 15 on the season.
• Conlin has posted at least 30 assists in 22 matches this season and has reached the 40+ assist plateau on 12 occasions.
• Conlin moved into ninth place in the school record books for assists in a single season and trails former Trojan standout Leslie Nodine (1,101) by 36 assists.
• Conard has recorded double-figure digs in 25 matches this season, including six straight and 20 of the Trojans' last 21 outings.
• Mitter has averaged nearly 14 kills per match over the last five contests.
• Mitter has recorded 16 double-doubles this season.
• Mitter has reached double-figure kills on 20 occasions, including each of the last five outings.
• Rachel Burts has recorded double-figure kills in 11 matches this season, including 10 of the last 13.
• Burts needs five total blocks to move into the school's top-10 for blocks in a single season and with her block assist in the first set, she tied former Trojan standout Shaunte' Heyward (2004) for fifth place in the school record books for block assists in a single season. She needs three block assists to surpass Jessica Harris (2013) for fourth place.
UP NEXT
Anderson will get back on the court Saturday, when the Trojans visit Mars Hill. First-serve is scheduled for 2 p.m.
