WINGATE, N.C. – Despite rallying from a late six-point deficit to win the opening set, the Anderson volleyball team dropped a four-set decision to preseason South Atlantic Conference-favorite Wingate, 3-1 (25-23, 15-25, 22-25, 26-28) Friday night at Cuddy Arena.
"A big difference in tonight's match was the service line," said Anderson head coach Todd Hay. "We gave up 26 points - more than one full set - from service errors and aces. If we want to be a contender in the conference, we have to be able to perform at our best against the top teams in the league and tonight we didn't do that. Fortunately, we can see what needs to be done when the pressure is on. Now it's just a matter of doing it. Hopefully we can mature from this experience and get better."
Anderson slipped to 8-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play, while seeing its win streak halted at seven. Wingate (9-1, 2-0 SAC) won its seventh straight decision and second straight home contest.
Just three days after posting their best hitting accuracy (.440) in nearly five seasons, the Trojans hit .190, while Wingate, which equaled a program-best .551 hitting percentage against Coker on Tuesday night, was held to a .205 accuracy.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Senior middle hitter Noelle Knutsen led the Trojans with 13 kills on a stellar .591 hitting percentage, while adding a pair of block assists. The Parker, Colo., native did not commit an error in 22 attacks. Senior outside hitter Liliana Kinder has reached double-figure kills in six matches this season after knocking down 12 against the Bulldogs, including seven over the final two sets. She also posted two block assists. Junior Rylie Sargent tallied a season-high 11 kills and came up with five digs, while junior Sadie Kluner notched eight kills, seven digs and a season-high four block assists.
Senior Madison Roy and Jenna Long dished out 25 assists and 14 assists, respectively, with Roy recording seven digs. Senior Alexandra Petrilli paced the Trojans with 10 digs and a pair of service aces, while senior Lindsay McCurley notched eight digs. Sophomore Hannah Neff recorded six digs, while junior Jaelyn Grimm chipped in two solo blocks and five block assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The score was tied three times early, but AU fell behind by as many as six on two occasions and still trailed, 17-11, before mounting a late charge and trimming the deficit to just two (18-16) on back-to-back kills from Sargent, who led the Trojans with five kills in the opening frame.
A Maggie Young kill boosted Wingate's edge back to three, but in a recurring theme of the night, the Trojans refused to go away. Grimm and Sargent sandwiched kills around a Wingate score to keep AU within striking distance (20-18), and after the Bulldogs opened a 22-20 lead, Knutsen's second straight kill got the Black and Gold back within one and an ace from Petreilli knotted the score at 22-22, forcing a Wingate timeout.
With the score again even at 23 apiece, the Trojans capitalized on an error by Young, and Grimm clinched the set with her first solo block of the night to cap the late 8-3 run.
Second Set
The Trojans were unable to carry the momentum over into the second frame, as Wingate used an early .529 hitting percentage to build a 12-4 advantage and the Trojans were unable to recover.
AU climbed within five points on four occasions – the final time at 20-15 – but the Bulldogs scored the final five points of the set to claim the double-digit victory.
Third Set
The third set was tied seven times early, with Wingate snapping a 10-10 deadlock and steadily building their largest lead of the frame, at 19-14, behind a 5-1 run.
But a kill from Sargent ignited the Trojans, with Kluner and Grimm fueling a rally, Knutsen capped a late 6-1 outburst with back-to-back kills that saw AU tie the score at 21-21. However, the Bulldogs countered to close the set on a 4-1 run.
Fourth Set
AU fell behind by nine twice and it looked like Wingate was going to run away with the set, but after being doubled up at 18-9, the Trojans scored eight unanswered points to get back within just one.
Sargent and Kluner sparked the comeback, with the Trojans taking advantage of five straight errors by the Bulldogs to close the gap to 18-17. Wingate then edged back out to a 21-18 advantage and still led, 22-20, before Kluner knocked down a kill and AU capitalized on a WU error to tie the score for the first time, at 22-22.
Two quick errors on the Black and Gold side put Wingate on the cusp of the win, but AU held off match point twice – first on a Bulldog miscue, then Kinder put the Trojans on the verge of winning the set with back-to-back kills and a 25-24 lead.
A miscue by the Trojans again deadlocked the score, with Kinder again giving AU the edge, but two consecutive mistakes by the Trojans saw Wingate regain the lead and the 'Dogs claimed the match with an ace.
STAT OF THE NIGHT
The two teams combined to commit 26 service errors on the night.
NOTABLES
• Noelle Knutsen tied the 16th-highest hitting percentage in school history with her .591 accuracy.
• Knutsen has reached double-digit kills in three straight contests and four of the last five.
• Four of the last six meetings between Anderson and Wingate have gone the full five-set distance.
• Rylie Sargent recorded a season-high 11 kills.
• Wingate holds a 30-5 advantage in the overall series that dates back to the 1999 campaign
• The Bulldogs, who were receiving votes in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Poll, were a preseason pick to win their 18th regular-season league title.
• Wingate has lost just three home matches in seven seasons.
• The Bulldogs recorded a season-high 11 service aces, while also equaling a season-high with 11 service errors.
UP NEXT
Anderson will look to get back in the win column when the Trojans visit Coker, Saturday afternoon. First-serve at the DeLoach Center is scheduled for 2 p.m.
