ANDERSON, S.C. – After equaling the 2017 squad for most victories in program history by winning 28 contests a season ago, the Anderson University volleyball team will play five matches against a trio of teams that advanced to the NCAA postseason a year ago, as the Trojans have announced their 2019 schedule.

AU posted a 28-6 overall record last season, including a 17-3 South Atlantic Conference mark and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Southeast Region Tournament for the second straight year, while posting the most successful two-year span in school history.

Third-year Head Coach Todd Hay attributes much of that success to team unity, saying "The success goes to the players. With our geographical location, our campus, facilities and the quality of education, I feel like we can attract very good student-athletes. We can always improve, but the pieces are here. (Our team chemistry) has paid huge dividends for us - a lot of our wins have been because our players are so close-knit and they want to play hard for each other. The returners have done a great job of mentoring the newcomers and that's a big part of our success."

Hay has constructed a slate for the Black and Gold that will feature 27 regular season contests, including 13 true road matches, two contests at a neutral site and a dozen matches in the friendly confines of the Abney Athletic Center.

With the Trojans vying for their second South Atlantic Conference regular-season title in three seasons and their sixth overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament, there will be six new opposing head coaches patrolling the sidelines when the Trojans take the court this season.

In addition to the grueling 22-match conference slate, Anderson's non-conference schedule features a pair of opponents from Conference Carolinas, along with one opponent each from the Great Lakes Valley Conference, the Great Midwest Conference and the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Following three preseason scrimmage dates in late August, the Trojans open the campaign with a season-high six-match road swing, which includes three contests at the Cedarville (Ohio) Yellow Jacket Invite. AU will open its' visit to the Buckeye State on Sept. 6 by squaring off against Indianapolis for the second consecutive season. The Greyhounds concluded last season by falling to nationally 25th-ranked Rockhurst in the first round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Tournament in their 19th consecutive trip to postseason play.

"We are looking to expand our travel in the future – maybe to Florida or Texas," noted Hay, who tries to mix up the schedule from the usual two leagues outside the South Atlantic Conference in the region. "It's difficult with our large conference schedule, but the exciting part is to be able to go to Ohio this year. It should be a lot of fun. We will see a familiar foe (UIndy) from last season. The have a great team and a great program and we'll kick off the season with them again after getting a highlight win over them last year."

A day later, the Trojans square off against the host Yellow Jackets in the first-ever meeting between the two programs and will close out the two-day event by facing Northwood from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

"The opening tournament will be solid all the way through," added Hay. "There will be no easy opponents in this tournament – they were all ranked respectively last season, but it should be fun and a good way to start the season and hopefully we can get some additional playing time for some of the younger players. Plus, it's close to home for Hailee (Wilhelm)."

Less than a week later (Sept. 13), the Trojans open their conference slate by traveling to perennial regional powerhouse Wingate. Led by reigning conference and region player of the year, Rachel Alles, the Bulldogs are the defending SAC Regular Season, SAC Tournament and NCAA Southeast Region Champions and topped the 30-win mark (32-2) for the for the ninth time in the last 12 seasons a year ago. The Trojans handed Wingate one of its two losses – and its' only conference setback – last season. The Bulldogs have lost just six conference contests over the last three seasons, with the Trojans dealing them three of those setbacks – all at the Abney Center.

"We are going into tough competition that opening weekend and I hope that will help us prepare for what has been historically our toughest competition," said Hay. "I'm also hoping it will give us some maturity and some grit, because we know that it'll be a tough environment to play in."

AU wraps up the road swing by visiting Coker (Sept. 14) and Newberry (Sept. 17) before opening its home schedule by playing host to Carson-Newman on Sept. 20. The Trojans will be looking to continue their success against Coker and first-year head coach Travis Nead after having defeated the Cobras in their last 18 straight meetings. The Lady Eagles tied for fourth in last year's conference standings and wrapped up the 2018 campaign with a 16-13 overall record. The Trojans have won three straight at home and five of the last seven overall meetings over their nemesis from the Volunteer State. Lincoln Memorial, which went 20-10 last season, visits the Electric City a day later with the 'Splitters looking to earn their second straight appearance and eighth overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2019.

The Trojans go back on the road for a three-match road swing, starting at Lenoir-Rhyne (Sept. 27) and Mars Hill (Sept. 28), before concluding with a nonconference matchup against longtime rival Erskine on Oct. 1. The Bears and Lions combined for 33 victories a year ago and both earned berths in the postseason SAC Tournament. Nine of the last 21 contests between the Trojans and Bears have gone the full five-set distance.The Flying Fleet, under the direction of new head coach Kelly Burdeau, will be looking to right the ship after going an uncharacteristic 9-44 over the past two seasons after winning the Conference Carolinas South Division three years ago.

"Erskine is a good rivalry game," added Hay. "Kelly (Burdeau) will do some good things there."

AU returns to the Abney Center hardwood on Oct. 4-5 and will play host to Tusculum and league newcomer UVa-Wise, before wrapping up the first half of the conference schedule with a road trip to Catawba (Oct. 11) and Queens (Oct. 12). The Indians will feature Patrick Nicholas at the helm of the program after longtime coach Ginger Hamric stepped aside in early January following 29 years as head coach. After claiming the 2017 SAC Tournament Championship, the Royals struggled to a sub-.500 record (14-15) last season.

The Trojans close out their nonconference slate and open a four-match homestand when defending Conference Carolinas Tournament Champion Emmanuel invades the Abney Center for the first time in school history. The Lions finished last season with a stellar 23-8 mark and earned a berth in the NCAA Southeast Regional in Emmanuel's first season of NCAA postseason eligibility.

"Emmanuel will be right there in the mix again," predicts Hay. "Coach Friddle puts a good team out on the court. We had a good win on the road there last year."

The Trojans open the second half of the conference schedule against Lenoir-Rhyne (Oct. 18) and conclude the homestand with contests against Mars Hill on Homecoming (Oct. 19) and Newberry (Oct. 22). AU wraps up the month of October by traveling to Carson-Newman and Lincoln Memorial on Oct. 25-26, before closing out its home schedule with another four-match homestand.

AU plays host to Wingate and Coker in early November before entertaining Catawba on Senior Night (Nov. 8) and closes. its home slate when Queens visits the Abney Center less than 24 hours later. The Black and Gold wrap up the regular season with a road swing to Tusculum (Nov. 15) and UVa-Wise (Nov. 16).

"The South Atlantic Conference is always tough," stated Hay. "And I don't feel like it'll be any different this year. Several of the top teams return a big part of their lineup, so the conference as a whole should be as strong or maybe even a little stronger. It'll be interesting to see how everything balances out."

The 2019 South Atlantic Conference Championship will feature the top eight teams in the league squaring off on Tuesday, Nov. 19, at the home sites of the four top seeds, with the tournament semifinals and championship slated to be held on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 22-23, at the Rock Hill (S.C.) Sport and Events Center for the first time in league history.