ANDERSON, S.C. – The Limestone University women's volleyball team was knocked out of the South Atlantic Conference playoff picture following a 3-0 loss to first-place Anderson University on Friday night.
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Anderson (S.C.) 3, Limestone 0
Set Scores: 25-18, 25-17, 25-19
Records: Anderson (S.C.) (20-6, 15-3), Limestone (10-12, 7-10)
Location: Abney Athletic Center
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Senior Bailey Carpenter (Lawrenceville, Ga.) finished the night with 21 digs and six assists
- Freshman Paige Gardella (Sugar Grove, Ill.) dished out 13 assists to go with three digs and a kill
- Junior Abbey Baker (York, S.C.) chipped in 11 assists and three digs for the Saints
- Senior Madysen Williams (Antioch, Tenn.) posted eight kills, seven digs, and a service ace
- Senior Vanessa Blas (Concord, N.C.) added seven kills on the night
- Freshman Josie Curran (Westerville, Ohio) recorded only six kills
- Junior Leilani Wilcox Nanai (Christchurch, New Zealand) also tallied six kills
- Senior Gabby Wessels (Watseka, Ill.) pulled out nine digs for the Blue and Gold
- Senior Madeline Yeager (Sacramento, Calif) logged four total blocks and four kills
- Senior Madyson Lousignont (Las Vegas, Nev.) had two blocks and two kills
- Limestone hit .196 as a team while Anderson posted a .274 attack percentage
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
A kill and then an ace from Williams gave the Saints a quick 2-1 lead, but the Trojans rattled off four straight points to move in front 5-2 early in the opening set. Massive swings from both Curran and Blas sparked a 7-4 counterattack before another kill by Williams would pull the Blue and Gold even at 9-all.
That was the closest things got in the first set for Limestone, however, as Anderson took full control by pulling away behind a long 13-4 run to take a commanding 22-13 lead. The Saints would fight back though, getting assisted blocks from Lousignont and Wilcox Nani and then again by Williams and Yeager, while kills from both Yeager and Williams closed the gap, but the Trojans would pick up the win, 25-18.
Second Set
Anderson jumped out to a 3-0 lead before a service error by the home team put the Blue and Gold on the board. Limestone would cut the margin to 4-3 behind a huge blast by Williams and an ace from Carpenter, but the Trojans stormed back with a 6-1 run to build up a 10-4 advantage in the second frame.
A solo block by Lousignont followed by a pair of kills by Blas and one from Nanai Wilcox allowed Limestone to trim the lead to 11-8. Blas then added another attack before Yeager posted a kill, pulling the Saints to within 14-11, but the Trojans had too much fire power as a 9-3 run gave the home team a 23-14 cushion. Blas and Wilcox Nanai would fuel a 3-1 spurt, but Anderson gabbed a 2-0 lead with a 25-17 win.
Third Set
Despite a tip by Blas that resulted in a kill for Limestone, the Trojans surged out to a 4-1 lead, but two huge kills by Curran bookended an attack by Williams to close the gap to 5-4 for the visitors. The Saints would continue to keep it close as another kill by Williams followed by assisted blocks from both Blas and Yeager and then another from Curran and Yeager pulled Limestone to within 10-9 a few moments later.
Anderson used a 6-3 run to open a 16-12 cushion, but a couple of kills by Wilcox Nanai allowed the Saints to stay within striking distance, 18-15, late in the third set. A kill from Blas and a series of tremendous digs by Carpenter brought the Saints to within 19-17, but the Trojans would finish off the 3-0 match sweep by scoring six of the final eight points of the evening to take the third frame by a 25-19 final.
TURNING POINT
Limestone managed to hang with the Trojans early in each of the three sets, but a series of long runs would open things up for Anderson. A 13-4 stretch in the first set allowed the home team to take a match lead while runs of 9-3 in the second frame and 6-2 in the third knocked the Saints from the playoffs.
NOTABLES
- The Saints can tie Catawba for eighth in the SAC standings, but the Indians own the tiebreaker
- Anderson closed out the regular season with eight consecutive 3-0 sweeps
- The Trojans are guaranteed at least a share of the SAC Regular Season Championship
- Carpenter has registered 21 or more digs in three straight matches for Limestone
- She has 71 digs during that span – it's the fourth time this season she has recorded 20 digs
- Curran, who leads the Saints in kills, had her four-match streak of double-digit kills snapped
- Gardella recorded her 450th assist of the season in tonight's match against Anderson
UP NEXT
Limestone will bring the 2021 campaign to a close tomorrow (Saturday, November 13) when it travels to take on Mars Hill University at 2 p.m. in the season finale.
