HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Sophomore Maya Learmonth and freshman Taylor Weber combined for 28 kills and senior setter Emily Conlin posted a double-double, as the Anderson University volleyball team captured its' first South Atlantic Conference win of the young season by knocking off Coker, 3-1 (25-14, 22-25, 25-22, 25-17), Saturday afternoon at the DeLoach Center.
Anderson (3-2, 1-1 SAC) has won three of its last four, while Coker (3-2, 1-1 SAC) has dropped two of its last three.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Learmonth led all players with 17 kills on the strength of a .343 hitting percentage, while Weber posted 11 kills behind a .333 hitting percentage. Junior Kaitlyn Grube added seven kills, with junior Regan Duty chipping in six. Conlin equaled a season-high with 47 assists and notched her second double-double of the season by notching a dozen digs.
Sophomore libero Meghan DeVaux came up with a season-high 20 digs, with freshman Alexandra Petrilli adding 12 digs and Lindasy McCurley posting 11. Sophomore middle blocker Noelle Knutsen tallied four solo blocks and a block assist.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Coker snapped an early 4-4 tie with a 6-2 surge to claim a four-point advantage and force a Trojan timeout. Following the break, AU reeled off four unanswered points to knot the score at 10 apiece.
There were two more ties before junior Christina Stacy knocked down a kill to give the Trojans a 13-12 advantage and a lead that the Black and Gold would not relinquish – their first lead since the opening point of the set. AU then closed the set on an impressive 12-2 scoring run.
Second Set
However, AU was unable to carry the momentum into the second frame as the Cobras used a 10-3 run of their own to eventually build a 21-14 edge.
The Trojans mounted a late rally and climbed within 23-22, but could not overtake Coker in the final minutes, as the Cobras scored the final two points of the set.
Third Set
After Coker jumped out 4-1 early, the Trojans stayed close and knotted the score at nine apiece on back-to-back kills from sophomore Hannah Worsham. The score was tied twice more before AU opened up a 15-12 lead on a pair of kills from Weber.
Fourth Set
The Trojans scored the first four points of the set – including a pair of aces from Conlin – and doubled up the Cobras, 10-5, before pushing out to a 15-6 advantage and Coker was unable to get any closer than 22-14 down the stretch.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE DAY
The .239 hitting percentage marked a season-high for the Trojans.
NOTABLES
• The Trojans lead the overall series 34-7.
• AU has won 23 of the last 26 meetings, including 21 straight.
UP NEXT
Anderson will wrap up its season-opening, six-match road swing at Newberry on Tuesday. First-serve versus the Wolves is slated for 7 p.m.
