ANDERSON, S.C. – After wrapping up the regular season by winning eight straight matches and 12 of its final 13 contests, the Anderson University volleyball team will be searching for the program's sixth appearance in eight seasons and its first automatic bid to the NCAA Southeast Regional, as the No. 3 seeded Trojans will play host to sixth-seeded Queens, Tuesday night in the quarterfinals of this week's South Atlantic Conference Championship.
WHO: #3 Anderson Trojans (20-6, 15-3 SAC) vs. #6 Queens Royals (16-12, 10-8 SAC)
WHERE: Abney Athletic Center; Anderson, S.C.
WHEN: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Anderson Attendance Policy
Masks are encouraged inside all buildings on campus. Guests must maintain at least 6 feet of distance from anyone outside of their family group.
Fans are always encouraged to check with the host institution before making plans to attend any games in person.
With a share of the 2021 SAC Regular Season Championship safely in the record books, the Trojans are making their 10th consecutive trip to the conference tournament and their 11th overall appearance after joining the league for the 2010 campaign. Anderson, which was tabbed to finish second in this year's SAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, will begin its quest for its first-ever South Atlantic Conference Tournament title by squaring off against the Royals, who have won two of their last three decisions and three of their last five.
If the Trojans get past Queens, Anderson will have earned a spot in the tourney semifinals in five straight seasons (2017, 2018, 2019, Spring 2021 and 2021). AU and the Royals will be meeting for the second time this season, after the Trojans began their current win streak by sweeping Queens back on Oct. 21 in Charlotte.
The Trojans
Anderson (21-6, 17-5 SAC) is 9-10 in its previous 10 appearances in the conference tournament - The Trojans were the No. 6 seed in 2010 and suffered a narrow, 3-2, setback to third-seeded Lincoln Memorial in the quarterfinals. After missing out on the postseason in 2011, AU dropped a 3-1 decision to top-seeded Wingate as the eighth seed ten years ago.
The Trojans entered the 2013 tournament as the sixth seed and promptly upset third-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne in the quarterfinals and second-seeded Tusculum in the semifinals before falling to Wingate in the finals. The 2014 postseason saw the Black and Gold earn a No. 3 seed, with Anderson reaching the NCAA Tournament for the third time in school history in 2014 after claiming the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory with a four-set win over Tusculum eight seasons ago (2013). The Trojans earned victories past Lincoln Memorial and stunned Carson-Newman in the 2014 tourney, while advancing to the finals of the event before falling to eventual champion Wingate for the second straight year in the 2014 championship tilt.
Six seasons ago, AU extended eventual NCAA Southeast Region Champion Carson-Newman to five sets before succumbing at the Abney Athletic Center, while falling to Queens in the 2016 quarterfinals.
As the No. 1 seed four years ago, the Trojans swept Coker at the Abney Center, then dropped a five-set, 3-2 (18-25, 25-22, 12-25, 25-21, 15-10) decision to No. 4 seed and host Carson-Newman before capturing the fourth seed in the NCAA Tournament. AU blanked Queens in the Southeast Region Quarterfinals before falling in five sets to host Flagler. As the No. 2 seed two years ago, the Trojans knocked off Mars Hill in four sets at the Abney Center, before falling in five sets to third-seeded Lincoln Memorial in the tourney semifinals.
No. 3-seeded AU opened the 2019 SAC Championship by sweeping sixth-seeded Tusculum at the Abney Center, then fell in three sets to host Queens in the tourney semifinals before capturing the sixth seed in the NCAA Southeast Regionals at Wingate.
The Spring '21 SAC Championship saw the host and second-seeded Trojans knock off No. 7 Newberry in four sets, before blanking third-seeded Carson-Newman in the semifinals at the Abney Center. The Trojans went on to extend top-seeded Wingate to five sets before falling to the No. 1 seeded Bulldogs on their home court.
AU also reached the NCAA Tournament in 2008 after winning the Conference Carolinas Tournament.
The Trojans, who have been ranked for back-to-back weeks in the NCAA's Southeast Region weekly rankings – and were third last week - have reached the 20+ win plateau for the fourth straight season and fifth time in seven years (excluding the Spring '20 COVID-19 shortened season).
Jaelyn Grimm (.351), Regan Duty (.325) and Noelle Knutsen (.314) continue to rank second, third and fourth, respectively, the Trojans still pace the South Atlantic Conference in hitting percentage (.249) and with Madison Roy still leading the league individually (11.18/set), AU is second in SAC with 12.67 assists per set. The Trojans are also second in kills per set (13.51/set) and sixth in blocks per set (1.84/set).
Queens
The Royals (16-12, 10-8 SAC), were a preseason pick to finish fourth in the South Atlantic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll after going 7-5 overall and 6-4 in the league during the COVID-shortened spring season and going 24-7 overall in 2019, including a 19-3 mark in league play.
Queens is 7-8 away from home this season and has won two of its last three decisions - sandwiching wins over Georgia College and Coker around a hard-fought, four-set loss to Wingate.
The Royals' Brooke Farley is third in the league in both assists and assists per set, while Loren Johnson is sixth in the SAC in digs per set. Freshman middle hitter Kayla McDuffie and teammate Lindsay Elmore rank third and ninth, respectively in the conference in total blocks.
McDuffie was named SAC Defensive Player of the Week in mid-October. The Winterville, N.C., native notched 18 total blocks in three matches the previous week, including seven assists in the Royals' 3-0 victory over Mars Hill.
The Series vs. Queens
With AU's five-set, 3-2 (18-25, 25-20, 25-12, 20-25, 15-7) road win last March, the Trojans snapped a four-match skid at the hands of the Royals, with three of the last five matchups with Queens having gone the full five-set distance.
AU followed up with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-18) regular-season win over the Royals last month that marked Coach Todd Hay's 100th career victory at the helm of the Trojan program.
In the October meeting, Duty led all players with 13 kills, while committing just one error in 23 swings for an impressive .522 attacking accuracy. Grimm added 12 kills behind a .500 hitting percentage, with classmate Sadie Kluner notching 11 kills on the strength of a .381 hitting percentage. Senior middle blocker Knutsen tallied 10 kills while hitting .321. Roy dished out 47 assists and came up with five digs, while senior Meghan DeVaux recorded a match-best 21 digs. Freshman Hannah Neff chipped in nine digs.
The Trojans are 29-15 versus Queens over the past 20 seasons and have won 26 of the last 34 meetings, including six of the last 11 matchups. The two teams have met just 18 times since 2009, when both were members of Conference Carolinas, with Queens joining the SAC in 2013.
Queens swept the 2019 regular-season meetings between the two squads, then swept AU in the semifinals of the 2019 SAC Championship in Charlotte. The two teams split the 2018 regular-season matchups, with each squad defending its home court. AU knocked off the Royals, 3-1 (25-22, 25-15, 20-25, 25-21) in early October at the Abney Center, with Queens avenging the loss by outlasting the Trojans in five sets a month later in Charlotte, N.C.
The Trojans defeated Queens, 3-1, in the 2017 season's first regular-season matchup in Charlotte, in a victory that ignited AU's school-record 22-match win streak, then swept the Royals at the Abney Center in mid-October and again in the opening round of the 2017 NCAA Southeast Region Tournament in St. Augustine, Fla.
2021 SAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Tuesday, Nov. 16 (at highest seeds)
Game 1: #1 Tusculum vs. #8 Catawba, 7 p.m.
Game 2: #4 Lenoir-Rhyne vs. #5 Carson-Newman, 7 p.m.
Game 3: #2 Wingate vs. #7 Mars Hill, 7 p.m.
Game 4: #3 Anderson vs. #6 Queens, 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 19 (Rock Hill Sports & Event Center)
Game 5: winner game 1 vs. winner game 2, 4:00 p.m.
Game 6: winner game 3 vs. winner game 4, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 20 (Rock Hill Sports & Event Center)
Game 7: winner game 5 vs. winner game 6, 2:00 p.m.
SAC TOURNAMENT INDIVIDUAL DAILY TICKETS:
Quarterfinals: Adult - $ 5.00; Youth (12 and under)/Senior (60+) Active or Retired Military - $3.00; College Students with college ID - $ 2.00
Semifinals: (Friday, Nov. 19; Rock Hill, S.C.) Adult - $ 10.00; Youth (12 and under)/Senior (60+) Active or Retired Military - $6.00; College Students with college ID - $ 2.00
Finals: Adult - (Saturday, Nov. 20; Rock Hill, S.C.) $ 8.00; Youth (12 and under)/Senior (60+) Active or Retired Military - $5.00; College Students with college ID - $ 2.00
