ANDERSON, S.C. – Following a five-day layoff, the Anderson University volleyball team is set to open a four-match South Atlantic Conference homestand by welcoming Coker and league-leading Wingate to the Abney Athletic Center this weekend.

Friday night's contest will feature a matchup between the top two teams in the conference standings, with Wingate holding a one game edge over the Trojans with six contests remaining on the regular-season slate.

Wingate, the odds-on favorite in the SAC Preseason Coaches' Poll swept the Trojans in their earlier meeting in the Tar Heel State. The Trojans notched a pair of first-place votes and were tabbed second in the preseason poll.

First-serve versus the Bulldogs is set for Friday night at 7 p.m., with the Trojans and Cobras set to tangle, Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.

Admission to all home volleyball matches is free.

The Trojans
Anderson (18-3, 14-2 SAC), which is riding a six-match win streak and has won 16 of its last 17 decisions, owns a 36-match home win streak and has not dropped a decision on Annie Tribble Court since October, 2016.

AU trails Wingate by one game in the league standings, while leading third-place Queens by a game and Carson-Newman by two contests.

Wingate
The Bulldogs, who went 32-2 overall in 2018, with a 19-1 SAC record, were a preseason pick for the 14th consecutive year to finish first in the 2019 SAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.

Wingate (22-1, 15-1 SAC), which was ranked 22nd nationally before suffering its first loss of the season nearly two weeks ago at Carson-Newman, picked up where it left off before the setback and has won three straight, including sweeps of Coker and Catawba. Excluding the four-set road loss to the Eagles, Wingate has dropped just five sets all season.

Wingate is led by reigning SAC and Southeast Region Player of the Year, Rachel Alles, along with junior middle blocker Sophie Schaff. Alles is sixth in the league in both assists (414) and assists per set (5.75/set), while Schaff ranks fifth in the SAC in kills per set (3.12/set) and is ninth with 215 overall kills on the year.

The Bulldogs are the defending SAC Regular Season, SAC Tournament and NCAA Southeast Region Champions and topped the 30-win mark 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 seven conference contests over the last four seasons, with the Trojans dealing them three of those setbacks – all at the Abney Center.

The Bulldogs have won 12 of the last 13 regular-season SAC titles – the Trojans brought home the 2017 championship - while also capturing 11 of the last 13 SAC Tournament championships. In that time, Wingate has also won five NCAA Southeast Region Championships.

The Series vs. Wingate
After defeating the Bulldogs just once in the first 17 years of the program, the Trojans have knocked off the perennial regional powerhouse three times in their last seven meetings.

Anderson will enter Friday's contest looking for its second victory in four meetings with Wingate and its fifth overall win in school history past the Bulldogs. A win would mark just their fourth victory since 1999, when the Trojans were in their first year as a member of NCAA Division II. Wingate has won 23 of the last 26 matchups and leads the overall series, 23-4.

The Trojans snapped a 19-match skid at the hands of their SAC opponent when they stunned Wingate with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-8, 25-14) win at the Abney Center in mid-October of the 2016 campaign. At the time, the loss marked just the Bulldog's fourth SAC loss in three years. The Bulldogs avenged the loss by sweeping AU, 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-22) in their first meeting two seasons ago in the Tar Heel State.

History repeated itself on Homecoming Weekend two years ago, when the Trojans handed the 21st-ranked Bulldogs their first loss of the season at the Abney Center. After dropping a four-set decision at Wingate last September, the Trojans knocked off the Bulldogs, 3-1 (25-21, 25-16, 18-25, 25-19) on Senior Night last year.

In addition to the regular season home-and-home matchups, the two teams have squared off in two of the last six SAC Tournament Championships, with the Bulldogs sweeping AU on both occasions.

Wingate swept the Trojans, 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-20) in the conference opener for both squads in mid-September.

Coker
The Cobras, who posted a 13-16 overall record a season ago, including a 5-15 mark and an eighth place finish in the conference, were a preseason pick to finish 10th in the 2019 SAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.

The Cobras returned 11 players from last season, while adding six freshmen and one transfer to this year's roster.

Senior outside hitter Taylor du Bray was named Preseason First-Team All-South Atlantic Conference after setting Coker single-season records in kills (373) and kills per set (3.73) last season. Her 373 kills ranked second in the conference.

First-year head coach Travis Nead's Cobras are 6-15 overall and 3-13 in the league after dropping two straight decisions. Entering Friday night's matchup at Newberry, the Cobras have lost five of their last six outings and are 2-7 on the road this season.

The Series vs. Coker
The Trojans own a 34-7 record versus the Cobras over the past 21 seasons and have won 23 of the last 26 meetings, including 21 straight.