GAFFNEY, S.C. – Heading back into South Atlantic Conference action after a solid weekend at the UAH Charger Invitational the Anderson University volleyball team picked up a clean sweep victory of the Saints of Limestone, 3-0, in the Timken Center on Tuesday, September 12.
"Always a good feeling to win on the road in conference," said head coach Todd Hay. "We weren't as sharp tonight as we were in Huntsville, but we didn't make many errors either and that's crucial when you play on the road."
Senior Tabitha Wheeler (Greenville, S.C.) led the way for the Trojans with 16 kills over the three sets with a .438 hitting percentage. Sophomore Brantley Chipley (Spartanburg, S.C.) posted the highest hitting percentage on the evening for Anderson with a .467 while also chipping in a solo block and five block assists. Senior Jenna Long (Clearwater, Fla.) posted 32 assists in the contest while she also led the squad with 13 digs.
The first set was all Anderson as the only tie of the set came at the 1-1 mark before the Trojans began to pull away with a three-point streak. A pair of three-point streaks with a pair of two-point streaks intertwined brought the score up to 15-7 late in the set. After another three-point run the Saints were forced to call a timeout at 18-9. The tactic would not work in their favor however as Anderson outscored them 7-1 over the final stretch to take the 25-10 victory.
Limestone captured their first lead by taking the first two points of the second set, but the Trojans were quickly able to squash that advantage, swinging momentum in their favor with the score at 6-4. The teams traded points back and forth with the Saints climbing back into the contest and forcing at tie at 14. However, the Trojans were able to string together four-straight points to take the 18-14 lead and would then evenly split the final 14 points of the set, 7-7, giving the Trojans the 25-21 second set win.
Again, Limestone jumped out to the early lead and maintained that advantage forcing an early Anderson timeout at 6-2. The timeout took some time to take effect as Anderson was able to close the gap and eventually tie the set up at 13. The service from junior Hannah Neff (Fort Mill, S.C.) would help spark a seven-point run from the Black and Gold, giving them the 20-13 lead. Limestone was able to score only one more point over the rest of the set as the Trojans closed out the sweep 25-14.
"I felt like Limestone served us aggressively and kept us out of an offensive rhythm, but we were able to get a good defensive effort and our pin hitters racked up a lot of kills," added Hay. "I know the team is excited to finally be back home on Friday and are looking forward to see everyone back in the Abney."
The Trojans do return to the friendly confines of the Abney Athletic Center this Friday, September 15 as they welcome in the Catawba Indians for a conference matchup. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m.
