ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson University volleyball team will open a three-match road swing when the Trojans visit Lenoir-Rhyne for a South Atlantic Conference matchup, Friday night in Hickory, N.C. First-serve versus the Bears is set for 7 p.m.

The Trojans will travel to Mars Hill for a Saturday afternoon contest, then wrap up the road trip by squaring off against longtime rival Erskine, Tuesday night in Due West, S.C.

The Trojans
Anderson (6-2, 4-1 SAC), which is deadlocked with Queens in second place in the early-season SAC standings, is coming off a five-day layoff and is seeking its fifth consecutive victory and seventh win in eight decisions. The Trojans are 4-1 in games away from the Abney Athletic Center this season.

Sophomore outside hitter Maya Learmonth is third in the league with a team-high 3.48 kills per set average and stands fifth in the SAC with 101 total kills. The Pflugerville, Texas, native has reached double-figure kills in six of AU's eight contests, including a stretch of four straight matches. Freshman Taylor Weber is second on the squad with 59 kills after notching a career-high 15 kills in last Saturday's five-set win over Lincoln Memorial.

Senior Hailee Wilhelm is close behind with 52 kills, including a season-best 17 against the Lady Railsplitters. The Columbus, Ohio, native has jumped into second place in the conference with her .363 hitting percentage after hitting .397 in the three wins last week.

Another sophomore, Meghan DeVaux, is 14th in the SAC in both digs (113) and digs per set (3.65/set), while reaching double-figure digs in nearly every match this season.

Senior Emily Conlin, the reigning SAC Specialist of the Week, leads the league with 318 assists and is 35th nationally in assists per set (10.26/set). The Glendale, Ariz., native averaged nearly 45 assists and more than 14 digs per match in three wins last week. She has five double-doubles on the season, including four straight.

Behind freshman Lindsay McCurley's team-high 15 service aces, the Trojans rank 27th nationally with 2.13 aces per set.

Lenoir-Rhyne
The Bears, who posted a 17-11 overall record a year ago, including an 11-9 mark and tied for fourth in conference action, were a preseason pick to finish sixth in the 2019 SAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.

Junior Taylor Prall and senior Jackie Denny earned Preseason Second-Team All-Conference honors. Prall, an Honorable Mention All-Conference selection in 2018, led L-R with 287 kills as a sophomore and added 15 service aces, 187 digs and 38 blocks. Prall finished 10th in the league in kills and had six double-doubles on the year.

The outside hitter has already earned SAC Player of the Week twice this season – most recently on Sept. 16 - after knocking down a career-high 23 kills against Lincoln Memorial. She posted a stretch of three straight double-doubles with a season-high of 17 digs against the Railsplitters.

Prall currently leads the league with 157 kills and ranks second – just ahead of Learmonth – with 4.36 kills per set.

Denny was also an Honorable Mention All-Conference performer a season ago after finishing the season with 82 total blocks. Denny added 154 kills and was second on the team with a .236 hitting percentage. The senior recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 11 blocks last season against UNC Pembroke.

Lenoir-Rhyne (8-2, 4-2 SAC) has won three of its last four outings and is coming off a 3-1 home win two nights ago over Mars Hill. The Bears are 3-1 at home this season.

The Series vs. Lenoir-Rhyne
The Trojans and Bears have met just 21 times over the past 19 seasons, with AU holding a 12-9 edge in the overall series that dates back to the 2000 campaign. The Bears won the first-ever matchup, 3-0, and the series saw a seven-year lapse before L-R edged Anderson, 3-2, during the 2008 season.

The two squads have met 19 times as members of the SAC. Anderson has won 10 of the last 12 matchups, including five straight. Nine of the 21 contests between the two teams have gone the full five-set distance.

Mars Hill
The Lions, who posted a 16-13 overall record a season ago, including a 10-10 mark and tied for sixth place in the conference standings, were a preseason pick to finish seventh in the 2019 SAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.

Senior SallyAnne Johnson was named Preseason First-Team All-SAC after earning Honorable Mention All-Region honors at the conclusion of last season.

Defensive specialist Ully Martins is second in the SAC with 185 digs and is third with her 5.61 digs per set.

Mars Hill (5-4, 4-2 SAC) saw its' three-match conference win streak halted with the four-set loss at Lenoir-Rhyne last Tuesday night. The Lions are an even 2-2 at home this season.

The Series vs. Mars Hill
The Trojans have swept the last three year's regular-season series with Mars Hill and have won six straight past the Lions after dropping three consecutive decisions to them during the 2015 and 2016 campaigns. AU defeated Mars Hill, 3-1 (25-18, 26-24, 21-25, 25-17) at the Abney Athletic Center in the opening round of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament last November.

The Trojans lead the overall series, 15-11. After MHU won the first-ever meeting in 1997, the Trojans won five of the next six meetings over the following 11 seasons. After the Trojans earned three straight wins over the Lions to gain a narrow advantage in the overall series, Mars Hill swept the 2015 season's regular-season matchups to claim a 10-9 edge in the overall series.

Anderson defeated the Lions in AU's inaugural season in the SAC in 2010, with Mars Hill countering by claiming seven straight wins before AU won the 2013 series finale over the Lions and swept both regular-season matchups four years ago. With the three-set road win at Mars Hill two years ago, the Trojans clinched their first-ever South Atlantic Conference Regular Season Championship.