WINGATE, N.C. – Fifth-seeded Lander outlasted No. 4-seed Anderson, 3-1 (20-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-22), in NCAA Southeast Region volleyball action, Friday night at Cuddy Arena.
Anderson saw its season end with a 21-8 overall record, while Lander improved to 21-9 and advances to meet the winner of the top-seed and host Wingate / No. 8 seed USC Aiken match in Saturday's semifinals. The Bearcats snapped a three-match losing skid to the Trojans on their way to becoming at least the third Peach Belt Conference team in Saturday's semifinals.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Senior middle blocker Noelle Knutsen knocked down a team-high 13 kills on the night behind a .444 hitting percentage. The Parker, Colo., native also notched a solo block and a block assist. Senior outside hitter Liliana Kinder added 10 kills, a pair of block assists and a solo block to go along with four digs. Junior right-side hitter Rylie Sargent tallied nine kills, two digs and a pair of block assists, with junior Jaelyn Grimm notching six kills, six block assists and two solo blocks.
Senior setter Madison Roy handed out 36 assists and posted her third straight double-double by coming up with 17 digs on the night. The North Myrtle Beach native also chipped in three block assists. Senior Lindsay McCurley recorded a team-high 24 digs and six assists, while sophomore Hannah Neff tallied 15 digs and two service aces.
Lander's Katie Miller, the Peach Belt Freshman of the Year, posted a match-high 21 kills on a .188 hitting percentage, while teammates Mata Walker and Annie Holesinger each added 11 kills apiece. Lander's Patricia Pantoja, the PBC's Libero/Defensive Specialist of the Year, recorded 30 digs, with Second Team All-PBC selection Madilyn Reed handing out 45 assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The Trojans fell behind early, 4-1, but then scored three straight points to tie the score at 4-4. With the score even at 5–5 moments later, Lander reeled off three consecutive points of its own to force an AU timeout.
Coming out of the break, the Trojans went on a brief 4-1 run to knot the score for the third time, at 9-9, when Kinder and Grimm combined on a block, only to see the Bearcats push out to a 13-10 advantage. The back-and-forth tug of war then saw AU post three straight points to even the score (13-13) for the fourth of eight total times during the opening set.
Neff finally gave AU the lead for good with her first kill of the night, at 18-17, with a Lander error and a kill from Sargent giving the Trojans a three-point edge. AU stretched its lead to 23-18 behind a 6-1 surge and held on for the win.
Second Set
Lander scored the first five points of the second set, but AU answered with a 5-1 run to climb back within one, at 6-5, and the Trojans were finally able to draw even for the first of 11 times during the second set, at 7-7, on an error by the Bearcats. AU took its first lead of the frame (8-7) on ace by Tabitha Wheeler, but was unable to hold on to the lead, as the two teams swapped the advantage three more times.
The Bearcats snapped an 18-18 tie with a 4-1 run while AU countered with three straight points, capped by an ace from Roy that forced a Lander timeout. The Bearcats then scored four unanswered points to claim the set.
Third Set
It was the Trojans turn to grab the early lead in the third set, as AU jumped out to a quick 7-4 advantage. The Black and Gold held onto the lead until Lander posted three straight points to even the score at 12-12.
The Bearcats later broke a 16-all tie with three consecutive points once again and pushed out to a late, 22-19 lead. But Knutsen, Neff and Roy combined for three unanswered points to even the score for the eighth time, at 22-22, before Lander closed the set with three consecutive points.
Fourth Set
With the score deadlocked at 6-6, an ace from McCurley that was part of a run of seven unanswered points – and an overall 9-1 outburst - gave the Trojans a 12-6 lead.
But the Bearcats got back in it quickly by scoring four consecutive points as part of a 7-2 run and trimmed AU's lead to just one, at 14-13, midway through the set.
The Trojans held the lead until Lander posted a 4-1 run to turn a 17-15 Trojan lead into a one-point Bearcat advantage, at 19-18. The score was tied three more times, until Lander scored four of the final five points to claim the match.
STAT OF THE MATCH
The largest lead by either team on the night was six points.
NOTABLES
• AU was making its third appearance in the NCAA Regional as a No. 4 seed.
• The Trojans were making their fifth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament and their eighth overall appearance.
• Saturday's tournament semifinals will feature at least three teams from the Peach Belt Conference.
• The Trojans are now 4-8 in their eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament
• The Trojans and Bearcats have met just 19 times over the past 25 years, with Lander holding an 11-8 advantage in the overall series.
• The Trojans are the 11th team in program history to post at least 21 victories in a season.
• Friday's matchup marked just the second meeting between the Trojans and Bearcats since the 2018 NCAA Southeast Regional and just the sixth matchup since the 2012 season. AU has won three of the last four meetings and five of the last seven matchups dating back to the 2010 season.
