ANDERSON, S.C. – For the second time in as many weekends, the Anderson University volleyball team is set to go on the road for a four-match tournament appearance – this time to the Sunshine State - as the Trojans continue their season-opening 11-match road swing.
Among the 14-game Rollins Invitational, Anderson is scheduled to square off against West Georgia from the Gulf South Conference, Mary from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and a pair of teams from the Sunshine State Conference (Rollins and Florida Southern).
Included in the seven-team field are fellow South Atlantic Conference-member Newberry, along with Georgia College from the Peach Belt Conference. West Georgia and UMary also feature coaches who are in their first year at the helm of their respective programs.
Rollins College Attendance Policy
Fans are not being allowed in the stands at Rollins.
WHO: Anderson Trojans (2-2) vs. West Georgia (4-0)
WHERE: Jenkins Fieldhouse; Lakeland, Fla.
WHEN: Friday, 3 p.m.
WHO: Anderson Trojans (2-2) vs. Rollins (3-1)
WHERE: Jenkins Fieldhouse; Lakeland, Fla.
WHEN: Friday, 7 p.m.
WHO: Anderson Trojans (2-2) vs. Mary (1-3)
WHERE: Jenkins Fieldhouse; Lakeland, Fla.
WHEN: Saturday, 1 p.m.
WHO: Anderson Trojans (2-2) vs. Florida Southern (0-0)
WHERE: Jenkins Fieldhouse; Lakeland, Fla.
WHEN: Saturday, 5 p.m.
COVERAGE
Live Stats: AUTROJANS.COM
Video: AUTROJANS.COM
The Trojans
AU captured a pair of wins last weekend at the Angelo State Kathleen Brasfield Invitational – over East Central Oklahoma and Northwestern Oklahoma – before dropping four-set decisions to then No. 1-ranked Angelo State and Texas A&M-Kingsville, which is receiving votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top-25 Poll.
Senior Noelle Knutsen was named the South Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Week three days ago after turning a stellar performance in the Lone Star State. The Parker, Colo., native also captured a spot on the All-Tournament Team after opening the season with 43 kills (2.69/set) on the strength of a .286 hitting percentage, while coming up with three digs and a team-leading 14 total blocks. She equaled her career-high with 14 kills against both Northwestern Oklahoma and top-ranked Angelo State and currently ranks second in the conference in block assists and third in total blocks.
Fellow senior Regan Duty also garnered All-Tournament team recognition after pacing AU with 46 kills (2.88/set) over the four contests. She recorded a .256 hitting percentage and also posted 11 block assists and added eight digs. The Inman native recorded double-digit kills in three of the weekend's four matches and posted a .400 attacking accuracy in the final matchup against Texas A&M – Kingsville.
Senior Maya Learmonth is second on the team and tied for seventh in the league after notching 45 kills (2.81/set) at Angelo State, including double-digit kills in the final three matches. She also came up with nine digs and recorded three block assists over the weekend. Sophomore Sadie Kluner tallied double-figure kills in the final two matches last Saturday, while matching her career-high with 11 kills in the weekend finale against Texas A&M – Kingsville.
Classmate Jaelyn Grimm notched 22 kills over the weekend, including a career-high 10 kills against Kingsville. The Cedar Park, Texas, native also recorded 13 total block over the four-match span.
Junior setter Madison Roy leads the league in both assists (178) and assists per set (11.12/set) after the opening weekend, while recording a double-double against Angelo State. The North Myrtle Beach native began the tournament by dishing out a match-high 36 assists and coming up with four service aces, eight digs, three kills and three block assists in AU's four-set win over East Central Oklahoma State. Roy followed up with a match-best 47 assists and added seven digs, an ace and a block assist in the Trojans 3-1 win over Northwest Oklahoma State, last Friday night.
Roy added another match-high 44 helpers in the setback to the top-ranked Rambelles, while posting 10 digs for her first double-double of the season. She dished out a match-high 51 assists in the loss to Texas A&M – Kingsville, which was just one assist shy of her career-best, while coming up with six digs.
Junior Alexandra Petrilli leads the Trojans and is tied for third in the conference after recording double-figure digs (64 total) in all four matches. Fellow junior Lindsay McCurley added 41 digs.
West Georgia
The Wolves (4-0, 0-0 GSC), were a preseason pick to finish seventh in the Gulf South Preseason Coaches' Poll after posting a 4-5 mark last spring and going 20-13 and reaching the finals of the Gulf South Conference Tournament in 2019.
Sophomore middle blocker Tierra White was named to the 2021 Preseason All-Gulf South Conference team late last month. The Columbus, Ga., native played in every set during the shortened spring season and led the Wolves in kills (102) and blocks (40). White led the league in hitting percentage (.389) and ranked second in kills (435) in 2019, while earning GSC and South Region Freshman of the Year honors, as well as First-Team All-GSC recognition.
West Georgia and first-year head coach Kara Hellmann are an undefeated 4-0 on the young season after claiming wins over Georgia College, Mars Hill, Erskine and Francis Marion last weekend in Due West.
The Series vs. West Georgia
The Trojans and West Georgia have met just three times – most recently in 2016, with the Wolves holding a 2-1 edge in the overall series. West Georgia defeated the Trojans twice during the 2003 campaign, with AU blanking the Wolves, 3-0, at the 2016 Columbus State's Hughston Clinic Invitational.
Rollins
The Tars (3-1, 0-0 SSC) were a preseason pick to finish 10th in the 2021 Sunshine State Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, after struggling during the spring season and were unable to capture a victory in 10 outings after garnering eight wins during the 2019 campaign.
After collecting wins over Mary, Minnesota Crookston and Chadron State last weekend at Colorado State Pueblo's Steel City Showcase, the Tars' Riley Spurlin, Rebecca Kuehn, and Emily Diaz were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Spurlin led the Tars with 54 kills (3.6/set), while adding seven blocks. Kuehn started all four matches and handed out 118 assists, while chipping in 15 kills and 42 digs. Diaz posted 42 kills and six aces.
The Series vs. Rollins
The Trojans and Rollins have not faced each other in more than two decades, with the Tars sweeping the only meeting in school history, 3-0, during the 2000 season.
Mary
UMary (1-3, 0-0 NSIC) was a preseason pick to finish 16th in the 2021 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, after going 2-2 in an abbreviated 2021 spring season with the Marauders winning both of their home games.
The Marauders and first-year head coach Abby Pollart featured five returning letterwinners from last season, including senior Natalia Cruz, who was named a 2021 Northern Sun Player to Watch for the Marauders. Cruz led the team in digs, digs per set, service aces and aces per set in 2019. The native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, ranked 14th in the NSIC in digs with 3.98 per set in 2019.
The Series vs. Mary
Saturday afternoon's contest will mark the first meeting between AU and the Marauders.
Florida Southern
The Moccasins have yet to take the court this season, after originally being slated to compete in Nova Southeastern's Shark Invitational last weekend.
Florida Southern (0-0, 0-0 SSC) was a preseason pick to finish ninth in the 2021 Sunshine State Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, after not competing during the 2020 season. The Moccasins posted a 7-23 overall record in 2019, including a 3-17 mark in conference action.
The Series vs. Florida Southern
Saturday afternoon's match will be just the second meeting in school history between the Trojans and Moccasins. Florida Southern swept the Trojans, 3-0, at the 2013 FSC/Terrace Hotel Classic.
