ANDERSON, S.C. – On the heels of an undefeated five-match homestand, the Anderson volleyball team is slated to open a two-game road swing by visiting preseason South Atlantic Conference-favorite Wingate, Friday night at Cuddy Arena. First-serve is set for 7 p.m.

Less than 24 hours later, AU will square off against Coker in the Trojans' seventh match over a 10-day span.

WHO: Anderson Trojans (8-1, 2-0 SAC) vs. Wingate Bulldogs (8-1, 1-0 SAC)
WHERE: Cuddy Arena; Wingate, N.C.
WHEN: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

WHO: Anderson Trojans (8-1, 2-0 SAC) vs. Coker Cobras (3-5, 0-2 SAC)
WHERE: DeLoach Center; Hartsville, S.C.
WHEN: Saturday, 2 p.m.

COVERAGE
Live Stats: AUTROJANS.COM
Video: AUTROJANS.COM (Pay-Per-View)

The Trojans
Anderson (8-1) is riding a seven-match win streak and is seeking its first true road win of the season in a hostile environment where success has been difficult to find.

The Trojans posted a season-high .440 attacking percentage in Tuesday's win over Newberry – their best hitting accuracy since notching a .452 hitting accuracy against Livingstone on Nov. 1, 2017 - while Wingate equaled a program-best .551 hitting percentage in its sweep of Coker, Tuesday night.

Senior Liliana Kinder continues to pace the Trojans with 98 kills (3.38/set) and has notched five matches with double-digit kills. Middle hitter Noelle Knutsen is just behind with 92 kills (3.07/set) and leads the team with 38 total blocks on the season. Junior Jaelyn Grimm, who was named the SAC Defensive Player of the Week two weeks ago, owns 37 blocks and has posted at least four blocks in six matches this season. The duo is ranked 1-2 in the South Atlantic Conference by notching 1.27 blocks per set and 1.23 blocks per set, respectively.

Senior Madison Roy and junior Jenna Long, who have shared setting duties this season, are still 1-2 in the league by handing out 10.63 assists per set and 10.40 assists per set, respectively. Senior Lindsay McCurley, who has posted nine service aces over the last four matches, leads the SAC with 19 on the season. She needs 15 aces to take over 10th place for career aces in the school record books. Senior Alexandra Petrilli is third in the league with a team-high 138 digs and has recorded 11 aces on the year.

Sophomore middle Brantley Chipley, who has seen action in four of the past five contests, leads the conference with an impressive .520 hitting percentage.

Wingate
The Bulldogs (8-1, 1-0 SAC), were a preseason pick to win their 18th regular-season league title, after posting a 24-5 overall record last season and sharing first place in the conference standings with both the Trojans and Tusculum with a 15-3 mark.

After falling to the Trojans in five sets in the semifinals of last year's SAC Championship, Wingate made its 16th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament a year ago before losing in four sets to top-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne in the NCAA Southeast Region Semifinals at the Abney Center.

Grad student Shannon Kasprak was a Preseason First-Team All-SAC honoree, while teammate Maggie Young earned second-team accolades and Molly Lambillotte collected third-team recognition.

Senior libero Maggie Mullen is the reigning SAC Defensive Player of the week, after helping lead the 'Dogs to four wins last week. She played in three of the matches and recorded 43 digs, 11 assists, eight aces and four kills.

The Bulldogs, who were receiving votes in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Poll, have won six straight contests since dropping a four-set decision to No. 1-ranked-Tampa two weeks ago at the Queens Fall Classic and have dropped just one set over the six-match span, while notching five sweeps.

Friday night's contest will mark just Wingate's second home match of the season, with the Bulldogs coming off a convincing, 3-0 (25-5, 25-12, 25-10) win two nights ago over Coker at Cuddy Arena.

The Series vs. Wingate
The Trojans and Bulldogs have met 34 times over the past 23 seasons, with Wingate holding a 29-5 advantage in the overall series that dates back to the 1999 campaign. Four of the last five meetings between Anderson and Wingate have gone the full five-set distance.

Prior to last year's SAC Championship, AU had dropped six straight to the Bulldogs after handing Wingate one of its two losses – and its' only conference setback – during the 2018 season. The Bulldogs have lost just 12 conference contests over the last six seasons, with the Trojans dealing them three of those setbacks – all at the Abney Center.

After defeating the Bulldogs just once in the first 17 years of the program, the Trojans have knocked off the perennial regional powerhouse four times in their last 12 meetings, including a five-set thriller in the semifinals of last year's SAC Championship in Rock Hill that marked AU's first-ever SAC Tournament win over the Bulldogs in five meetings.

Anderson will enter Friday night's contest looking for its sixth overall victory in school history past the Bulldogs. A win would mark its fifth victory since 1999, when the Trojans were in their first year as a member of NCAA Division II.

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 during the 2017 season in the Tar Heel State.

History repeated itself on Homecoming Weekend five 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 in Sept., 2018, the Trojans knocked off the Bulldogs on Senior Night.

Coker
The Cobras (3-5, 0-2 SAC), were a preseason pick to finish 11th in the South Atlantic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, after posting a 3-23 overall record last season and finishing 12th in the SAC with a 1-17 mark.

Coker, whose roster features 11 returners from last year's squad in addition to seven newcomers, has dropped three straight decisions and four of its last five outings.

The Cobras are set to host Newberry Friday night and are seeking their first home win of the season after closing out the month of August by falling to Lenoir-Rhyne.

The Series vs. Coker
The Trojans own a 36-7 record versus the Cobras over the past 22 seasons and have won 25 of the last 28 meetings, including 23 straight.