FAIRMONT, W.V. – Seniors Jaelyn Grimm and Tabitha Wheeler combined for 26 kills and the Anderson volleyball team posted a .280 hitting percentage, along with 17 service aces on the day, as the Trojans claimed two more victories at Fairmont State's Volleyball Classic by rolling past Ursuline, 3-0 (25-10, 25-17, 25-11) and Slippery Rock 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-11), Saturday at Joe Retton Arena.
"Happy to be heading home with some good experience and four wins under our belt," said Anderson head coach Todd Hay. "We were able to see a lot of players take the court and our level of play didn't fluctuate that much. We have a lot of depth which makes for great competitive practices. We hope this will pay off in a big way as we progress through the season. Hope to see everyone Tuesday night for our conference home opener against Newberry."
Anderson improved to 4-0 on the young season, while Ursuline slipped to 0-3 and Slippery Rock fell to 2-1.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
vs. Ursuline
Outside hitter Ava Reeves led a balanced attack against the Arrows by notching seven kills on a .286 hitting percentage in just two sets, with the freshman from Lexington adding a pair of block assists. Sophomore outside hitter Kaitlyn Barrett posted five kills behind a .400 attacking accuracy, while Grimm recorded five kills in 13 swings without an error (.385). Freshman middle blocker Emily Campbell chipped in four kills and led all players with six block assists in just two sets. Senior setter Jenna Long handed out a match-high 19 assists and posted seven digs, with freshman setter Ellie Nieporte dishing out eight assists in the third set.
Sophomore Savannah Cox recorded 10 digs and a pair of service aces, while junior Hannah Neff came up with seven digs and two aces. Sophomore Katy Smith tallied six digs and also laced two aces.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
vs. Slippery Rock
Grimm added 10 kills with just two miscues in 19 attempts for a .421 attacking accuracy against Slippery Rock, while also notching a pair of block assists. Wheeler nearly recorded her second double-double of the tourney with nine kills and nine digs, while not committing an error in 23 swings. Sargent recorded five kills in just two sets behind a .357 accuracy and added a pair of block assists.
Long notched her third double-double of the year by recording 36 assists and 13 digs, with Neff tallying a dozen digs. Cox added a career-high 19 digs and notched three aces, while Smith chipped in eight digs and a pair of aces.
HOW IT HAPPENED
vs. Ursuline
First Set
Grimm and fellow senior Sadie Kluner led the Trojans with three kills apiece in the opening set, with AU hitting .333 and holding the Arrows to an -.030 hitting accuracy.
The Black and Gold quickly built a double-digit,15-5, advantage and were never challenged, as they finished off the set with a 15-point margin.
Second Set
The second frame featured six ties before a service error by Ursuline gave the Trojans an 11-10 lead, with AU using a 10-3 scoring outburst to claim a late double-digit advantage and going on to the eight-point win.
Third Set
AU trailed twice early, but quickly gained the advantage and used a 9-1 run to claim an 18-9 lead, while finishing off the frame on a 16-3 run on the way to the decisive win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
vs. Slippery Rock
First Set
A pair of kills and a block assist by Sargent helped lift the Trojans to an early 4-2 lead, then with the score knotted at six apiece, AU reeled off four unanswered points as part of an 8-2 run that put the Black and Gold ahead to stay.
Second Set
Following three early ties, a bad set by Slippery Rock gave the Trojans a 5-4 edge and AU steadily crafted a 19-13 advantage before SRU rattled off five straight points to climb within just one and forced an AU timeout.
Coming out of the break, Grimm snapped Slippery Rock's run with her eighth kill of the match and the Trojans held at least a two-point lead the rest of the way.
Third Set
The Trojans held Slippery Rock to an .029 hitting percentage in the final frame and after claiming an early 8-4 advantage, AU used a 12-3 surge to take command of the set, at 20-7.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE DAY
The Trojans averaged 13 kills and 2.17 blocks per set on the day.
NOTABLES
• AU was squaring off against Ursuline for the first time in program history.
• The Trojans and Slippery Rock were meeting for the fourth time in program history and the first time the 2006 season.
• AU defeated SRU for the first time in four meetings, after SRU took wins over the Black and Gold during the 2001, 2005 and 2006 campaigns.
• Slippery Rock was picked to finish fifth in the Western Division of the 17-team Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.
• Savannah Cox posed a career-high 19 digs against Slipper Rock.
• AU posted a season-high 10 aces against Ursuline.
• The Trojans posted a season-high .312 attacking percentage against the Arrows.
• AU notched three sweeps over the weekend.
UP NEXT
The Trojans will return to the Electric City for their home opener – and their South Atlantic Conference opener – by playing host to Newberry, Tuesday night. First-serve versus the Wolves is set for 7 p.m.
