ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson volleyball team wrapped up its six-match homestand by upsetting 21st-ranked and previously unbeaten Wingate, 3-1 (25-23, 26-24, 20-25, 25-23) in a matchup between the two top teams in the South Atlantic Conference, Friday night at the Abney Athletic Center.
"I was very proud of our AU Trojans tonight," said Anderson head coach Todd Hay. "Great crowd, great effort and an especially nice win for Homecoming. This felt like a championship or playoff-type atmosphere and we really appreciate our fans."
Anderson (18-3, 12-1 SAC) moved into a tie for first place in the conference standings by handing Wingate its first loss of the season, while knocking off the Bulldogs for the second straight time at the Abney Center. The Trojans claimed their 13th straight victory and remained undefeated at the Abney Center with their 12th straight home win. Wingate slipped to 18-1 overall and 12-1 in league play.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Senior outside hitter Marissa Mitter led all players with 19 kills – her second-highest tally of the season – and added six digs. Junior outside hitter Jayln Knight recorded 11 kills and eight digs, with sophomore Kathryn Hughes notching nine kills and a pair of block assists. Senior Serena Jackson tallied eight kills and three blocks, with classmate Rachel Burts recording seven kills and three block assists. Junior Emily Conard came up with a team-high 20 digs, while junior Megan Embry added 13 digs and sophomore setter Emily Conlin shared match-high honors with 50 assists and notched three service aces.
"After a slow start, Marissa stepped up and got us some huge points in all four sets," noted Hay. "I was very proud of how she bounced back and played like an all-conference senior. Our back row kept us in some big points and gave amazing effort."
Wingate senior Katie Bludau, who entered the contest leading the league with 4.42 kills per set, led the Bulldogs with 17 kills on the night. Sophomore Phoebe Havenaar tallied 15 kills.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The Trojans overcame a blazing start by Wingate and claimed the win on the strength of a late surge.
With Conlin serving, the Trojans scored the first three points of the set, but Wingate countered with five straight points to gain the upper hand only to see AU capitalize on a service error and Hughes' first kill of the set to knot the score for the second time, at five apiece.
The Bulldogs answered with a 10-3 outburst behind a .667 hitting percentage, before Conlin sparked the Trojan rally with her lone kill of the set. The sophomore from Glendale, Ariz., then capped a stretch of six unanswered points with back-to-back aces to pull AU within 15-14. Following a kill from Wingate's Rachel Alles, Jackson knocked down a kill and Hughes posted back-to-back kills to give AU its first lead (17-16) since 3-2.
The set was tied three more times before the Trojans took advantage of another Wingate error and a kill by Burts that gave AU a lead it would not surrender, at 23-21. The two teams traded points before Burts and Conlin teamed up for a block to seal the win.
Second Set
The second frame featured 11 ties and neither team was able to build more than a two-point lead, with the Trojans overcoming eight attack errors to capture the win.
With the score knotted at 19 apiece, Bludau and Oakley Attaway posted back-to-back kills to give Wingate a two-point advantage, before Knight countered with a kill for the Trojans. The Bulldogs pushed out to a 23-21 edge, only to see the Trojans draw even again at 23 apiece on a kill from Mitter. Attaway knocked down a kill to reach set point for Wingate, but Mitter answered with a kill and after a ball-handling error by the Bulldogs, Jackson claimed the win with her fourth kill of the set.
Third Set
The Trojans were unable to overcome Wingate's .389 hitting percentage, as the Bulldogs raced out to a 7-2 advantage and AU was unable to recover.
After Wingate pushed out to its largest lead of the frame, at 16-9, the Trojans chipped away and drew within two on two occasions, but were unable to overtake the 'Dogs. A solo block by Jackson pulled AU within 22-20, but the Trojans would get no closer, as Wingate captured the set with three straight points.
Fourth Set
The fourth frame saw eight ties but only three lead changes, with AU scoring the first two points of the set and the Bulldogs countering with four consecutive points.
AU caught up with the Bulldogs at 7-7, when Conlin and Burts combined for a block and the score was deadlocked three more times before Wingate again built a two-point lead twice.
With the score even at 17-17, the Trojans capitalized on consecutive attack errors to take a lead they would not relinquish and pushed out to a 21-18 edge on Jackson's second kill of the set. Wingate got within a single point four times in the final moments, but late attack errors proved costly for the Bulldogs.
"Our team demeanor has been steady all year, whether up by seven or down by five," added Hay. "That's been a big part of our success and we want to carry that with us as we head out on the road."
NOTES
• Wingate was the last team to defeat the Trojans (Sept. 15), before AU began its steak of 13 straight victories.
• The win marked AU's second win in three meetings with the 12-time defending South Atlantic Conference Champions.
• AU has defeated Wingate three times in program history (1999, 2016, 2017).
• Wingate entered the match leading the NCAA in opponent hitting percentage (.086). The Trojans hit .182 on the night.
• AU entered the contest seventh in the nation in opponent hitting percentage (.106). Wingate hit .257 for the match.
UP NEXT
Following a six-day layoff, Anderson will get back in action Friday when the Trojans open a three-match road swing at Newberry. First-serve versus the Wolves is scheduled for 7 p.m
