ANDERSON, S.C. – In front of a raucous Homecoming Eve crowd, the Anderson volleyball team opened its final regular-season homestand by handing 20th-ranked Wingate its first South Atlantic Conference loss of the year – and first overall loss since late August – in a five-set thriller, 3-2 (25-23, 20-25, 21-25, 25-17, 17-15) Friday night at the Abney Athletic Center.

"When you play matches like tonight, you get exposed in some of your weaknesses and have to rely on your strengths," said Anderson head coach Todd Hay. "I felt like both teams did a good job overall of battling through the ups and downs of the match and playing some really strong volleyball - especially in set five. Thankfully, we made some key plays in crunch time and were able to pull off a key region win. We look forward to honoring our seniors tomorrow afternoon and enjoying the homecoming festivities. Thank you to all our fans for a great atmosphere. Go Trojans!"

Anderson (19-4, 12-3 SAC), which rallied after being down a set, snapped the Bulldogs' 22-match win streak, while stretching its own run to eight straight victories and has won 10 of its last 11 outings.

Wingate (24-1, 15-0 SAC) suffered its first regular-season conference loss in more than a year and fell for the first time this season since dropping a four-set decision to top-ranked Tampa in late August.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Junior right-side hitter Rylie Sargent led all players with a career-high 22 kills behind a .429 hitting percentage, while senior middle hitter Noelle Knutsen added 17 kills, three block assists and a pair of solo blocks. Junior Jaelyn Grimm posted 13 kills on the strength of a .440 attacking percentage, while also notching a pair of service aces. Junior Sadie Kluner recorded nine kills, three digs and two block assists, with senior Liliana Kinder posting seven kills.

Senior Madison Roy handed out 63 assists – just one shy of her career-best – and posted her second double-double of the season by tallying 11 digs. Senior Alexandra Petrilli shared match-high honors with 14 digs and chipped in two aces, with Hannah Neff posting 10 digs and three service aces.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
As the score would indicate, the two teams played on nearly even terms after the opening moments.

The Trojans opened red-hot behind Petrilli's strong serves, as they scored the first six points of the match and built a quick, 8-1, lead out of the gate. But Wingate chipped away and used a 16-8 run to overtake AU and claim a brief 17-16 lead of its own.

The score was tied two more times, before Knutsen knocked down a block to give AU the lead for good, at 19-18. The Trojans held off the Bulldogs and built a 24-21 advantage, before Wingate made it interesting with back-to-back scores. Kinder clinched the win with her second kill of the frame.

Second Set
The Trojans were unable to overcome Wingate's .414 hitting percentage in the second stanza, with the Bulldogs doubling up AU, 8-4, on the scoreboard early.

AU trimmed Wingate's lead to a single point three times, but was unable to overtake the 'Dogs, as the visitors edged out to a late six-point advantage before taking the five-point victory.

Third Set
The Trojans scored the first point of the set, but it proved to be AU's only lead of the frame, as the Bulldogs again opened an 8-4 lead.

AU countered with four straight points to knot the score at eight apiece, only to see Wingate use a 7-2 surge to take the lead for good. The Trojans again closed the gap to just two on six occasions – the final time at 23-21 – but were hampered by nine attack errors in the set and were unable to get any closer.

Fourth Set
AU bounced back by hitting .452 in the fourth set, with Grimm, Sargent and Knutsen combining for 15 kills.

It was AU's turn to grab an early 8-4 advantage with the Trojans steading pushing out to an 18-10 lead, before closing with the double-digit win and forcing a fifth and deciding set.

Fifth Set
The fifth frame featured an impressive 10 ties, with neither team able to build more than a three-point lead, with AU easing out to a 10-7 edge when Grimm and Sargent sandwiched kills around a Wingate error.

But the Bulldogs stayed close and used a 3-0 run of their own to turn a 13-11 AU lead into a 14-13 Wingate advantage and reach match point. Kinder answered for the Trojans and following another Bulldog mistake, AU was knocking on the door of a win with a 15-14 led. Following a Wingate timeout, the 'Dogs knotted the score for the final time (15-15), with Grimm giving the Black and Gold the lead and AU took home the win on a Wingate attack error.

STAT OF THE NIGHT
The two teams were aggressive from the service line – committing a combined 22 service errors after combining for 26 in the early September matchup.

NOTABLES
• Friday night's match marked the first time Wingate had been extended to five sets since the Trojans defeated the Bulldogs in five sets in last year's SAC Tournament semifinals.
• The Trojans and Bulldogs have met 36 times over the past 23 seasons, with Wingate holding a 30-6 advantage in the overall series.
• The last time AU defeated Wingate in the Electric City was on Homecoming night in 2018, when the Trojans posted a four-set win to snap the Bulldogs' 23-match win streak – Wingate was the lone unbeaten team in NCAA Division II at the time.
• AU has won two of the last three matchups with the Bulldogs.
• The Trojans improved to 1-1 in five-set matches this season.
• The Bulldogs have lost just 13 conference contests over the last six-plus seasons, with the Trojans dealing them four of those setbacks – all at the Abney Center.
• Wingate suffered its first regular-season conference loss since dropping a four-set decision at Tusculum on Oct. 16, 2021.
• Five of the last seven meetings between Anderson and Wingate have gone the full five-set distance.

UP NEXT
In less than 24 hours, the Trojans will play host to Coker and celebrate the careers of six seniors prior to Homecoming festivities.