ANDERSON, S.C. – In front of a boisterous capacity crowd, the top-seeded Anderson volleyball team moved on to the semifinals of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-20) win over No. 8 seed Coker, Tuesday night at the Abney Athletic Center.
Anderson (27-3) extended its win streak to 22 matches and moves on to face fourth-seeded Carson-Newman, Friday night at 6:30 p.m. in Jefferson City, Tenn. Coker dropped two of its last three decisions and its season ended with a 14-17 overall record.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Seniors Rachel Burts and Marissa Mitter, along with sophomore Kathryn Hughes, shared game-high honors with eight kills apiece. Hughes posted a .444 hitting percentage by not committing an error in 18 swings, while Burts was nearly as accurate with just two errors in 14 attempts for a .429 hitting percentage. Mitter also came up with six digs in the win, while sophomore setter Emily Conlin handed out a match-high 36 assists and recorded a team-best 15 digs. Junior outside hitter Jayln Knight added 13 digs in the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
After the Cobras scored the first point of the night, AU quickly countered with seven unanswered points and never trailed the rest of the way. Jackson ignited the run and following a Coker miscue, Hughes and Jackson alternated knocking down two kills apiece, as the Trojans claimed a 7-1 lead.
After the Cobras trimmed AU's edge to just three, AU quickly doubled up Coker, at 10-5, and pushed out to a double-digit, 18-8, lead in workmanlike fashion before going on to claim the 12-point win.
Second Set
Coker grabbed the first two points of the second frame, before the Trojans reeled off six unanswered points to take an early 6-2 advantage. Just as in the opening set, AU pushed out to an identical 18-8 lead and built a 12-point, 22-10, cushion before the Cobras used a late 7-1 run to cut the Trojan lead to single digits.
Third Set
Anderson trailed just once as Coker posted the first point of the set, while the Trojans scored three straight points to take an early 3-1 advantage. With AU holding a slim, 7-6, edge Mitter knocked down back-to-back kills and Emily Conard followed with an ace and the Trojans took advantage of a Coker error to claim an 11-6 lead.
Coker used four straight points to get back in the set and cut AU's lead to one on four occasions, but the Trojans held off any rallies and had at least a four-point lead the rest of the way.
NOTES
• This marks the third time that AU has advanced to the semifinals since joining the SAC in 2010.
• The Trojans are making their sixth straight appearance in the conference tournament and seventh overall.
• With the win, the Trojans improved to 5-5 all-time in the SAC Tournament.
• Tonight marked the first time the Trojans and Cobras had squared off in the postseason event.
UP NEXT
The SAC Tournament semifinals and finals will be hosted by Carson-Newman, Friday and Saturday in Jefferson City, Tenn.
Friday afternoon's matchup will be the third of the season between the Trojans and Carson-Newman. AU swept the regular-season series with the Eagles.
SAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, Nov. 17 (at Carson-Newman)
Game 5: #2 Wingate vs. #3 Queens, 4 p.m.
Game 6: #1 Anderson vs. #4 Carson-Newman, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 18 (at Carson-Newman)
Game 7: winner game 5 vs. winner game 6, 2 p.m.
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