ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson University volleyball team will open its' home schedule when the Trojans return to the Electric City for a pair of South Atlantic Conference contests this weekend.
The Trojans are slated to square off against Carson-Newman at the Abney Athletic Center, Friday at 7 p.m., while Lincoln Memorial invades the Electric City for a 2 p.m. contest on Saturday.
Admission to each volleyball match is free.
The Trojans
Anderson (4-2, 2-1 SAC) has won two straight and four of its last five outings and is looking to extend its home win streak to 29 matches. Ironically, the last visiting head coach to win on Annie Tribble Court was current Trojan head coach Todd Hay on Oct. 18, 2016, who was coaching Newberry at the time. The Wolves swept AU, 3-0, in that mid-week contest.
The home hardwood has traditionally been favorable to AU, as the Trojans have won eight of their nine home openers since joining the SAC in 2010, with the lone setback coming at the hands of Tusculum during the 2014 season.
Sophomore outside hitter Maya Learmonth ranks second in the league with a team-high 76 kills on the season and is third in the SAC with her 3.62 kills per set. The Pflugerville, Texas, native has reached double-figure kills in five of AU's six contests. Another sophomore, Meghan DeVaux, is ninth in the SAC with 90 digs and stands 11th with her 4.29 digs per set, while reaching double-figure digs in every match this season.
Senior Hailee Wilhelm continues to lead AU and has climbed to fourth in the league with her .373 hitting percentage after hitting an impressive .583 in the Trojans' four-set win at Newberry two nights ago. Senior setter Emily Conlin has posted three double-doubles on the season and is second in the SAC in both assists (216) and assists per set (10.29). With Conlin and junior Christina Stacy leading the way with 10 service aces apiece and freshman Lindsay McCurley adding nine aces on the season, the Trojans are third in the SAC with 47 aces.
Carson-Newman
The Eagles, who went 16-13 overall in 2018, with an 11-9 SAC record and finished in a tie for fourth place with Lenoir-Rhyne, were a preseason pick to finish in a tie for third alongside Lincoln Memorial in the 2019 SAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
Senior Morgan Ballard earned Preseason First-Team All-Conference accolades, while junior Megan Oldenburger was a second-team all-conference selection.
Ballard is a two-time all-region honoree and finished last season with 784 digs. After being on the All-Freshman team two years ago, Oldenburger ranked ninth in the SAC with 302 kills, while adding 33 aces and 3.54 digs per set last year.
Carson-Newman (4-2, 2-1 SAC) had won three straight before dropping a four-set decision two nights ago at Mars Hill.
The Series vs. Carson-Newman
The Trojans and Eagles have met 24 times over the past 14 seasons, with 21 of the matchups occurring since AU joined the league in 2010. The overall series, which began in 2006, sees Carson-Newman holding a narrow, 13-11, edge.
Carson-Newman won the first five meetings in the overall series and the two teams have evenly split the last 12 matchups, with AU sweeping the 2016 and 2017 regular-season matchups before Carson-Newman edged the Trojans in a five-set thriller in the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Tournament in Jefferson City, Tenn.
The two teams split last year's regular-season matchups, with each squad defending their home court.
Lincoln Memorial
The Lady Railsplittesrs, who posted a 20-10 overall record a season ago, including a 14-6 mark and a third-place place finish in the conference, were a preseason pick to finish tied for third – with Carson-Newman - in the 2019 SAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
LMU is seeking its second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament after capturing an at-large bid last season.
Senior Rylee Storms and sophomore Emily Walter both garnered preseason All-SAC accolades. Storms, a right-side hitter, landed a spot on the preseason All-SAC First Team, while setter Walter picked up preseason All-SAC Second Team honors.
Storms captured All-SAC Second Team accolades a season ago after finishing the year with 311 kills and was named 2018 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II Southeast Honorable Mention All-Region and collected SAC All-Tournament Team honors. She tallied 25 service aces, 80 blocks and 203 digs a season ago.
Walter ranked fourth in the SAC a season ago with a team-high 989 assists and captured SAC All-Freshman Team accolades after coming up with 337 digs. She is the league's reigning Specialist of the Week.
LMU (2-4, 2-1 SAC) has won two of its last three outings, but is coming off a five-set road loss at Lenoir-Rhyne last Sunday.
The Series vs. Lincoln Memorial
The Trojans and Lady Railsplitters have met 25 times over the last 16 seasons, including 20 meetings since AU joined the South Atlantic Conference for the 2010 campaign.
LMU holds a 16-9 advantage in the overall series between the two schools, with Anderson snapping a nine-match skid at the hands of the Lady Railsplitters in the first meeting six seasons ago and defeating LMU three times during the 2014 campaign, including a 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-13) decision in the opening round of the SAC Championship.
After LMU swept the 2015 and 2016 matchups, the Trojans returned the favor by blanking the 'Splitters twice in 2017 and then sweeping last year's regular-season matchups before LMU edged AU in five sets in the SAC Tournament semifinals.
