ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson volleyball team extended its win streak to five straight by rallying to defeat Texas A&M International, 3-1, (20-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-19) and sweeping Converse, 3-0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-19), on the second day of action, Friday at the Abney Athletic Center.
Anderson improved to 6-1 on the season with the pair of wins, while Texas A&M International fell to 4-2 and Converse slipped to 1-3.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Match #1
Anderson 3, Texas A&M International 1
Senior middle hitter Noelle Knutsen led all players with a season-high 20 kills behind a .500 attacking percentage, while adding three block assists on the afternoon. Junior Sadie Kluner tallied 14 kills, two solo blocks and a solo block, with senior outside hitter Liliana Kinder chipping in 10 kills on the strength of a .318 hitting accuracy. Junior Jaelyn Grimm posted seven kills, a solo block and a pair of block assists in the win.
Senior Madison Roy handed out 57 assists and notched six digs to go along with three block assists. Sophomore hitter Hannah Neff recorded 14 digs and a pair of service aces, while senior Alexandra Petrilli came up with a dozen digs alongside two aces. Lindsay McCurley served up three aces on the day.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Match #2
Anderson 3, Converse 0
Junior outside hitter Meg Sansbury posted a match-best, career-high 12 kills and eight digs to along with two block assists, with sophomore middle hitter Brantley Chipley tallying a career-high eight kills on a .538 hitting percentage. Kinder posted nine kills and committed just one miscue in 12 attacks for a sterling .667 attacking accuracy.
Junior setter Jenna Long recorded 39 assists, nine digs and four service aces, with freshman Katy Smith coming up with 10 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Match vs. Texas A&M International
The Trojans hit a very respectable .243 in the opening frame, but the Dustdevils notched an even-better .364 attacking accuracy to claim the four-point win.
But AU turned the tables in the second stanza by hitting a blistering .593 and overcoming a 10-8 deficit with an 8-2 surge that was fueled by three kills from Kinder and was capped by an ace from McCurley. Later leading by just three (18-15), the trojans went on a 5-2 run to some breathing room en route to the seven-point victory.
The Trojans carried over the momentum into the third set and doubled up the Dustdevils, 10-5, but Texas A&M International stayed close and closed within one, at 14-13, and again at 22-21, before knotting the score at 23 apiece. AU refused to relinquish the lead, however, as Knutsen answered with a kill and Grimm closed out the set with a kill.
The fourth and final set featured four ties, before AU snapped the final deadlock (9-9) with a 10-3 outburst and went on to claim the set by a six-point margin.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Second Match vs. Converse
The Trojan offense stayed hot by recording a .516 hitting percentage in the opening frame with Kinder posting all nine of her kills in the first set. Sansbury and Chipley fueled the Trojan attack in the second stanza, with each player notching four kills apiece. The third set saw Sansbury, Chipley and freshman Kaitlyn Barrett combine for 11 kills, as AU turned a narrow 16-14 lead into a late six-point advantage.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE DAY
The Trojans combined to hit .328 on the day.
NOTABLES
• The Trojans were squaring off against Texas A&M International for the first time in program history.
• AU played host to Converse in the 24th meeting between the two programs, but the first since 2018 and just the third time since 2009, when both were members of Conference Carolinas. The Trojans lead the overall series 16-8 and have won 10 straight over the Valkyries.
UP NEXT
Anderson is slated to square off against Alabama Huntsville, Saturday morning at 11:30 a.m.
