SALISBURY, N.C. – Senior Marissa Mitter and sophomore Kathryn Hughes combined for 29 kills, as the Anderson volleyball team extended its win streak to five by sweeping Catawba, 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 29-27) in South Atlantic Conference action, Tuesday night at Goodman Gym.
Anderson (10-3, 4-1 SAC) claimed its second straight win over Catawba, while handing the Lady Indians their fifth consecutive loss. Catawba fell to 3-7 overall and 1-5 in conference play.
"It was not our prettiest effort and hats off to Catawba for fighting back, but we found a way to win," said Anderson head coach Todd Hay. "This team has learned that we can win on the road and come back from adversity. And congratulations to Marissa [Mitter] for achieving 1,000 career kills."
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Mitter led all players with 17 kills behind a .361 hitting percentage and added 15 digs, including eight in the decisive third set. Hughes notched 12 kills and committed just two attack errors in 30 attempts for a .333 hitting percentage, while equaling her season high with four block assists. Senior Rachel Burts notched eight kills, while sophomore setter Emily Conlin recorded a double-double with a match-high 34 assists and 15 digs. Junior libero Emily Conard recorded a team-high 17 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The Trojans posted a .382 hitting percentage in the opening frame, while scoring the first three points and never trailed.
AU took advantage of an attack error by the Lady Indians to ease out to a 13-8 lead and claimed a six-point (19-13) advantage on a kill by Mitter. Catawba got as close as four on a service ace, but the Trojans quickly turned the Lady Indians away by building a late six-point cushion and maintaining the margin.
Second Set
After the Trojans opened an early 10-4 lead, Catawba used a 5-1 surge to climb within two before Mitter knocked down back-to-back kills to slow the rally.
The Lady Indians refused to go away and after they trimmed AU's lead to just 13-12, Mitter and Hughes answered with kills to spark a 6-1 outburst that was capped by Hughes' third kill of the set. Catawba countered with a 7-2 run of their own to knot the score for just the second time - at 21 apiece.
Following an AU timeout, Hughes and Burts teamed up for a block, with Burts and Conlin adding successive kills to reach set point and the Trojans claimed the win on an error by Catawba.
Third Set
Catawba struck early in the third frame, while building a quick 7-1 advantage and pushed out to a 10-4 lead before the Trojans began to chip away. AU cut the deficit to three on three occasions before the Lady Indians equaled their largest lead, at 16-9.
The Trojans whittled the Catawba lead to just one (18-17) on another Catawba attack error and pulled within one three more times before knotting the score for the first time, at 24-24. The score was tied three more times before Burts and Mitter posted back-to-back kills for the win.
NOTES
• Mitter has 1,012 career kills and needs 30 kills to surpass former Trojan standout Shaunte' Heyward (2003-06) for 10th place in the school record books.
• AU recorded six service aces on the night and has posted 27 aces in the last five matches.
• The Trojans are 11th in the nation by holding opponents to a .112 hitting percentage.
• The Trojans rank 21st nationally with 12.98 assists per set.
• Conlin has eight double-doubles on the season.
• Knight has reached double-figure digs in eight matches.
• Mitter has six double-doubles on the season.
• The Trojans have posted four consecutive sweeps and have eight on the season.
• With a win on Friday at Carson-Newman, the Trojans would equal last season's six-game win streak.
UP NEXT
Anderson heads to the Volunteer State for a pair of South Atlantic Conference matchups this weekend, as the Trojans square off against Carson-Newman, Friday night in Jefferson City, Tenn. and Lincoln Memorial Saturday afternoon in Harrogate, Tenn.
