ANDERSON, S.C. – Second-seeded Anderson overcame a slow start and with five players reaching double-figure kills, the Trojans knocked off No. 7 seed Newberry, 3-1 (21-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-18) in the quarterfinals of the South Atlantic Conference Spring Volleyball Tournament, Tuesday night at the Abney Athletic Center.
Anderson improved to 8-2 with its eighth consecutive win and moves on to meet third-seeded Carson-Newman, Thursday night in the tourney semifinals, while Newberry saw its season come to an end with a 4-6 record after suffering its third straight setback and fifth loss in six outings.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Junior Maya Learmonth shared match-high honors with 16 kills and added a pair of block assists, while senior Regan Duty posted 13 kills and junior middle blocker Neely Shugart notched a season-high 13 kills on a .579 hitting percentage. The Rock Hill native also recorded three block assists. Freshman Sadie Kluner added a season-high 13 kills.
Junior setter Madison Roy handed out 51 assists and came up with 10 digs for a double-double, while also posting four block assists. Sophomore Alexandra Petrilli came up with 25 digs, while sophomore Lindsay McCurley and junior Meghan DeVaux each added eight digs apiece.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Newberry jumped out to an early 5-1 lead and the Trojans were unable to overcome their .024 hitting percentage for the set.
The Wolves went on to double up AU, 14-7, and built a nine-point advantage before a late surge pulled AU within three (24-21) but it was too late.
Second Set
Learmonth notched 10 kills to lead the Trojans during the second frame, with a kill from Kluner sparking a 7-1 surge that turned a 15-15 deadlock into a 22-16 lead for the Trojans. Learmonth fueled the run with three of her kills.
The Wolves climbed within 22-19 with three straight points, but Learmonth halted the rally with another kill and an ace from Roy boosted the Trojans to set point. Following a score by the Wolves, AU claimed the win on a miscue by Newberry.
Third Set
Duty and Shugart combined for nine kills in the third set and helped lead the Trojans to a .306 hitting percentage.
The frame was tied eight times and neither team was able to build more than a two-point lead until Roy and Shugart teamed up for a block that snapped a 14-14 deadlock and AU pushed out to a 20-16 lead on a kill by Duty.
The Wolves stayed close and pulled within just one (22-21) before Duty and Kluner closed the set by sandwiching kills around an attack error by Newberry.
Fourth Set
Kluner and Duty notched five kills and four kills, respectively during the set, with the Trojans bolting out to a quick 8-2 lead before the Wolves rallied to take an 11-9 lead.
But the Trojans answered with an 11-1 outburst that was ignited by a Newberry serve error and was fueled by three kills by Duty and two from Learmonth.
The Wolves got as close as 20-16, but Kluner slowed Newberry with a kill and strong serving by Petrilli down the stretch pushed the Trojans to the win.
NOTABLES
• The Trojans are making their ninth consecutive trip to the conference tournament and 10th overall after joining the league for the 2010 campaign.
• AU improved to 8-9 in its 10 SAC Tournament appearances.
• AU claimed its 14th win in 16 meetings with Newberry
• The Trojans and Wolves have met 31 times over the past 22 seasons, with AU holding a 22-9 advantage in the overall series that dates back to the 1999 campaign.
• Maya Learmonth has reached double-figure kills in seven straight matches.
• Regan Duty has recorded double-figure kills in five straight matches and seven of the last eight.
• Madison Roy has recorded double-doubles in six of the last eight matches.
• Alexandra Petrilli has posted double-figure digs in eight straight matches.
UP NEXT
Anderson will play host to No. 3 seeded Carson-Newman, Thursday night at the Abney Athletic Center. First-serve for the semifinal round of the tourney is set for 7 p.m. The matchup pairs the two teams together for the second time in six days after the Trojans defeated C-N, 3-1 (25-22, 25-21, 27-29, 25-22) in the regular-season-finale for both teams.
