ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson University volleyball team notched its 13th victory in 14 decisions by holding off a determined Mars Hill squad, 3-1 (27-25, 25-18, 24-26, 26-24) in South Atlantic Conference play, Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic Center.
"The Homecoming crowd was amazing and it was great to get the win in front of so many friends and family," said Anderson head coach Todd Hay. "Mars Hill put up a strong defense and gave us trouble with some pinpoint serving throughout the match. Fortunately we were able to serve fairly tough ourselves and do just enough on offense to secure the victory. Thank you to all the supporters of the Black and Gold for such an amazing afternoon in Abney!"
Anderson improved to 15-3 overall and 11-2 in conference play with its third straight win and swept the season series with the Lions.
Mars Hill slipped to 10-9 overall and 7-5 in the league with its second loss in three outings.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Sophomore Maya Learmonth posted a match-high 14 kills on a .303 hitting percentage, while junior Regan Duty and senior Hailee Wilhelm each knocked down 13 kills apiece, with Wilhelm adding three service aces and Duty recording a pair of block assists. Sophomore Noelle Knutsen tallied 11 kills behind a .409 hitting accuracy and also notched a pair of block assists. Junior Kaitlyn Grube added eight kills on the afternoon.
Senior Emily Conlin notched her second double-double of the weekend by equaling a season-high with 54 assists and coming up with 14 digs and four service aces. Freshman Lindsay McCurley tallied a team-high 21 digs, with junior Christina Stacy adding 11 digs. Freshman defensive specialist Alexandra Petrilli and sophomore Meghan DeVaux each came up with 10 digs apiece.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The opening set was tied nine times before Mars Hill snapped an 11-11 deadlock with four consecutive points. The Lions then proceeded to push out to a seemingly comfortable 21-14 advantage, but the Trojans roared back from the seven-point deficit with a 10-3 scoring outburst that knotted the score at 24 apiece.
Wilhelm fueled the resurgence with five kills and Learmonth added three kills during the rally.
Earlier trailing, 23-21, and with Conlin serving, Wilhlem knocked down her third kill of the frame, but the Lions quickly reached set point following a Trojan error. AU held off set point three times, with Wilhelm giving the Black and Gold a 26-25 edge with an ace and the Trojans completed the unlikely rally when AU came up with a block.
Second Set
AU fell behind 10-7, but again battled back – knotting the score at 12 apiece – before Learmonth gave the Trojans a lead they would not relinquish with a kill.
Conlin then followed with back-to-back aces that gave AU a three-point edge and the Trojans went on to claim the seven-point win.
Third Set
The Trojans steadily built a 15-11 lead, but no lead was safe on the afternoon, as the Lions climbed back to knot the score three times before AU reclaimed a brief advantage.
The Trojans stumbled late, as Mars Hill reached set point (24-22) on back-to-back aces from MHU junior Ully Martins. AU again held off set point on two occasions before the Lions squeezed out the win.
Fourth Set
The Trojans doubled up Mars Hill, 10-5, early but the Lions chipped away and evened the score at 16 apiece, before AU answered and pushed their advantage to 20-17 on a Lions' miscue.
Moments later, with the score tied at 24-24, Wilhelm and Duty posted back-to-back kills to seal the win.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE AFTERNOON
Attendance at the standing-room-only Homecoming contest was recorded at 1,227 – just shy of the Abney Center's capacity – and set a volleyball program home attendance record.
NOTABLES
• The Trojans stretched their home win streak to 34 straight matches.
• AU holds a 17-11 edge in the overall series with the Lions.
• The Trojans have swept the last three years' regular-season series with Mars Hill.
• Anderson has won six straight past the Lions after dropping three consecutive decisions to them during the 2015 and 2016 campaigns.
• Alexandra Petrilli has posted double-digit digs six times this season, including two straight.
• Hailee Wilhelm has posted double-digit kills in five of the last nine matches, while averaging 10 kills per match over the nine-game span.
• Noelle Knutsen has notched double-figure kills in three of AU's last five contests and has averaged nine kills per contest over the last five.
• Lindsay McCurley has recorded double-figure digs 12 times, including five straight.
• Maya Learmonth leads the Trojans with 180 kills on the season and has reached double-figure kills in 10 matches, including four of the last seven. She has averaged 10 kills per match over the seven-match span.
• Regan Duty has notched double-figure kills in three of the last five matches, while averaging nearly 10 kills per game over the five-match span.
• Emily Conlin notched her 10th double-double of the season and has reached the 40+ assist plateau 10 times.
UP NEXT
Anderson will wrap up its four-match homestand by playing host to Newberry on Tuesday night. First-serve at the Abney Athletic Center is slated for 7 p.m.
