ANDERSON, S.C. – After sweeping Coker in the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Tournament Quarterfinals two days ago at the Abney Athletic Center, the Anderson University volleyball team will be seeking to add another "first" to its mounting list of achievements, when the Trojans make their third overall appearance in the South Atlantic Conference Tournament Semifinals, Friday night in Jefferson City, Tenn.
The top-seeded Trojans are slated to square off against No. 4 seed and host Carson-Newman at 6:30 p.m. at Holt Fieldhouse, following the matchup between No. 2 seed Wingate and third-seeded Queens.
The Trojans and Eagles will be meeting for the third time this season, with AU in the hunt for the school's third NCAA appearance in five seasons and its first automatic bid to the NCAA Southeast Regional.
The Trojans
Anderson (27-3) is making its sixth consecutive trip to the conference tournament and seventh overall and with the three-set win over the Cobras last Tuesday night, Anderson is 5-5 in its seven appearances in the conference tournament.
The Trojans are 1-1 versus the Eagles in the SAC Tournament and both contests have gone the full five-set distance, with the two squads owning a recent history in the postseason. AU entered the 2014 SAC Tournament as the No. 3 seed and promptly knocked off sixth-seeded Lincoln Memorial and stunned second-seeded Carson-Newman 3-2 (17-25, 25-15, 25-19, 23-25, 17-15) at Lenoir-Rhyne's Shuford Gymnasium to earn its first appearance in the finals of the postseason event.
Two seasons ago, seventh-seeded AU took eventual NCAA Southeast Region Champion Carson-Newman, the No. 2 seed, the full five-set distance at the Abney Athletic Center before falling, 3-2.
The Trojans are riding a school-record 22-match win streak and have already set the school record for wins in a season. The win streak is the third-longest active win streak in the nation, behind just Arkansas Tech (32) and California Baptist (25).
The Eagles
Fourth-seeded Carson-Newman (16-13) earned a berth in the tourney semifinals by knocking off fifth-seeded Tusculum, 3-1 (25-18, 25-17, 25-27, 25-22) last Tuesday night in Jefferson City. The Eagles have won two straight after dropping three consecutive decisions – a streak that included a loss to AU on the Trojans' Senior Night – and they are an even 6-6 at home on the season.
C-N was picked to finish ninth in the Preseason SAC Coaches' Poll after finishing last season with a 3-27 overall record and a 2-20 mark in league action. Carson-Newman returned six starters from a year ago, including senior setter Anna Patton, who was a second-team All-SAC pick as a sophomore and junior middle blocker Natalie Harris, the SAC Freshman of the Year in 2015.
Sophomores Morgan Ballard and Marnie Streeter were named SAC Player of the Week and SAC Specialist of the Week, respectively in mid-September, with Streeter capturing the honor again two weeks ago.
The Series vs. Carson-Newman
The Trojans and Eagles have met 20 times over the past eight seasons, with 18 of the matchups occurring since AU joined the league in 2010. The overall series, which began in 2008, sees the overall series deadlocked at 10-10. Carson-Newman won the first four meetings and the two team have split the last 10 contests, with AU sweeping each of the last two years' regular-season matchups.
In two matchups with Carson-Newman this season, senior outside hitter Marissa Mitter knocked down 32 kills and came up with 23 digs, while senior Rachel Burts added 22 kills on the strength of a .409 hitting percentage and posted five blocks. Classmate Serena Jackson notched 14 kills and six total blocks, with sophomore Kathryn Hughes tallying 12 kills and four blocks. Junior Jayln Knight chipped in 10 kills and 29 digs, while sophomore setter Emily Conlin dished out 84 assists (12.0/set). Emily Conard came up with a team-high 36 digs in two meetings 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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