WINGATE, N.C. – Despite posting a season-low attacking percentage, second-seeded Anderson extended top-seeded Wingate to five sets before falling, 3-2 (27-25, 20-25, 18-25, 25-22, 6-15) to the Bulldogs in the 2021 South Atlantic Conference Spring Volleyball Championship, Saturday afternoon at Cuddy Arena.
"The coaches and I are really proud of the effort and perseverance the team showed today," said Anderson head coach Todd Hay. "We saw good things building as the season went along and we knew our best was going to be required today against a very good Wingate team. Unfortunately, we came up a bit short, but will use this tournament run as a building block for next. Thank you again to all of our fans and the University for the amazing support this season."
Anderson (9-3) saw its win streak halted at nine, while Wingate (11-1) earned its 14th conference tournament title with its ninth straight win.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Junior Maya Learmonth led the Trojans with 12 kills, while senior Regan Duty added nine kills and four block assists. Freshman Sadie Kluner tallied eight kills and a pair of block assists, with junior middle blocker Neely Shugart notching seven kills and four block assists. Junior middle blocker Hannah Worsham chipped in six kills, three block assists and a solo block.
Junior setter Madison Roy handed out 37 assists and notched her seventh double-double by adding 13 digs. Sophomore Alexandra Petrilli came up with a team-high 19 digs, while junior Meghan DeVaux and sophomore Lindsay McCurley tallied 16 and 11 digs, respectively.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Wingate scored the first eight points and 10 of the first 12, before the Trojans began climbing back. With AU still trailing, 10-3, Learmonth knocked down a kill and following a kill from Wingate's Quin Sutphin, the junior from Pflugerville, Texas, recorded back-to-back-to-back kills to pull the Trojans within four, at 11-7.
But the Bulldogs responded with six unanswered points to build a double-digit, 17-7 advantage and just when it looked like the Trojans might get run out of the gym, they countered with a 10-3 scoring outburst to battle back within three on an error by the Bulldogs.
Wingate rebuilt a five-point advantage, at 22-17, but the Trojans refused to go away and kept chipping away, while holding off set point three times – first on an a serve error, then on Duty's second kill of the frame and finally knotted the score at 24 apiece on a kill from Worsham.
AU claimed its first lead of the afternoon (25-24) on an ace by Roy, before Wingate's Reese Blackley evened the score with a kill. Learmonth then gave the Trojans the lead for good with her seventh kill, with Worsham and Duty capping the final 8-2 scoring run by combining on a block.
Second Set
Wingate again struck early – scoring the first four points of the frame and never trailed – as the Trojans struggled to overcome nine attack errors.
The Bulldogs steadily pushed out to a 17-12 lead, before AU responded with a 5-1 run and pulled within 18-17 on Shugart's third kill of the afternoon. But it was as close as the Trojans would get, as Wingate pulled away late for the five-point win.
Third Set
The third frame featured five ties, before Wingate broke an 11-11 deadlock with eight straight points as part of a 10-1 surge to open an 18-11 advantage.
AU closed to within four on three occasions, but could get no closer in the final minutes.
Fourth Set
The Trojans struck first in the fourth frame, but Wingate overcame a 5-4 Trojan lead with a 7-1 scoring run to open a five-point edge. With McCurley serving, AU then responded with seven straight points behind Worsham and Duty to claim a 13-11 lead.
With the Trojans still leading by two (16-14), Wingate bounced back and the score was tied nine more times until Duty gave the Black and Gold a 23-22 lead with a kill. Shugart then teamed first with Kluner and then with Duty for consecutive blocks to give the Trojans the three-point win.
Fifth Set
Wingate opened the final set by opening a 10-2 lead and never looked back, as the Bulldogs posted a .350 hitting percentage. The Trojans got within six, but were to get any closer down the stretch.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE DAY
The Trojans overcame a double-digit, 17-7, deficit in the opening set and did not lead until reaching the first set point at 25-24.
NOTABLES
• Wingate has lost just two matches at home over the past five seasons.
• Prior to the opening set and the fourth set, the Bulldogs had lost just one set over their last eight matches.
• AU slipped to 4-1 on the road this season, while the Bulldogs improved to 8-0 at home during this 2021 spring season.
• AU was making its ninth consecutive trip to the conference tournament and its 10th overall appearance.
• The Trojans own a 9-10 record in their ten appearances in the conference tournament.
• Today marked the third time in program history that the Trojans earned a berth in the SAC Championship contest (2013, 2014 and 2021).
• The Trojans fell to 0-4 vs Wingate in the conference tournament.
