ROCK HILL, S.C. – In a rematch of last year's South Atlantic Conference Tournament semifinals, the Anderson volleyball team grabbed an early one-set lead, but Wingate rallied to win three straight and claim a, 3-1 (22-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-13) win in the 2022 SAC Championship semifinals, Friday night at the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center.
Anderson slipped to 21-7 on the season and will be seeking an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament when the selections are unveiled on Sunday night.
Wingate (28-2) avenged its late October loss to the Trojans and moves on to face Carson-Newman in Saturday's championship match – with the title matchup featuring the top seeds from each division.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Junior right-side hitter Rylie Sargent, who has reached double-digit kills in four straight matches, led AU with 10 kills on the night. Senior middle blocker Noelle Knutsen added nine kills and five block assists, while junior Jaelyn Grimm also tallied nine kills and posted a pair of block assists. Junior outside hitter Meg Sansbury notched eight kills, four digs and two block assists. Senior outside hitter Liliana Kinder chipped in five kills, two block assists and a solo block.
Senior setter Madison Roy recorded her third double-double of the season, with 38 assists and 15 digs. Senior Lindsay McCurley came up with a team-high 18 digs, while sophomore Hannah Neff and senior Alexandra Petrilli had 17 kills and 10 kills, respectively.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Sargent and Grimm combined for seven kills in the opening frame, with Knutsen adding a pair of kills and a block assist, as AU raced out to a quick 7-1 lead after the Bulldogs scored the first point of the set.
Wingate battled back to tie the score twice, at 14-14 and at 15 apiece, but they were never able to regain the lead again. The Trojans capitalized on back-to-back errors by the Bulldogs and an ace from Neff gave AU and 18-15 lead.
From there, Wingate got within one point three times – the final time at 23-22, but the Trojans reached set point on another Wingate error and Sergeant closed the set with her fourth kill.
Second Set
The second frame, which was tied six times, saw AU steadily build a 17-10 advantage and the Trojans looked to be on the brink of claiming a two-set lead. But Wingate, behind a.298 hitting percentage, crept back and eventually knotted the score at 21-21, before winning the set by scoring four of the final five points.
Third Set
The Trojans and Bulldogs were tied eight times in the third set, but there was only one lead change and neither team was able to build more than a two-point lead, until Wingate used four consecutive points to turn a 16-15 lead into a 20-15 advantage and the Trojans were unable to get any closer.
Fourth Set
Wingate posted .333 hitting percentage in the final frame, while the Trojans were unable to overcome a .086 hitting percentage, and fell behind early, 10-5.
AU battled back within 14-11, but the Bulldogs rattled off six straight points to open an eight-point lead and closed the frame with five unanswered points.
NOTABLES
• The Trojans have earned a spot in the tourney semifinals in six straight seasons (2017, 2018, 2019, Spring 2021, 2021 and 2022).
• The Anderson/Wingate match saw the Piedmont Division's No. 1 seed go head-to-head with the Piedmont Division's No. 3 seed.
• Friday's first semifinal contest also paired the Mountain Division's top seed (Carson-Newman) against the Mountain Division's No. 3 seed (Tusculum).
• Five of the last seven meetings between Anderson and Wingate have gone the full five-set distance.
• The Trojans were making their 11th consecutive trip to the conference tournament and their 12th overall appearance.
• AU is 12-12 in its 12 appearances in the SAC Tournament.
• The Trojans and Bulldogs have met 37 times over the past 23 seasons, with Wingate holding a 31-6 advantage in the overall series.
• The Trojans have won two of the last four meetings with Wingate.
• The late October matchup marked the first time Wingate had been extended to five sets since the Trojans defeated the Bulldogs in five sets in last year's SAC Tournament semifinals.
• The Trojans slipped to 8-4 in four-set matches this season.
• The match marked the second time AU and Wingate had met in the SAC Tournament Semifinals – the two programs squared off in the 2012 quarterfinals and in the finals in 2013, 2014 and Spring, 2021 – with Wingate winning each time, until AU won last year's semifinal matchup.
• The Bulldogs have lost just 18 decisions to conference opponents since the 2016 season, with the Trojans dealing them five of those setbacks – four at the Abney Center and one in the SAC semifinals.
• AU has won two regular-season SAC titles and was seeking its first SAC Tournament crown.
• The Trojans will be making the school's seventh NCAA Tournament appearance in 10 seasons later this month. (Due to COVID-19, the NCAA did not host a championship in 2019-2020).
UP NEXT
The Trojans will learn their postseason fate when the NCAA Tournament selections are unveiled on Sunday night.
