JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Behind juniors Maya Learmonth and Noelle Knutsen's season-high kill totals, the Anderson volleyball team wrapped up the regular season outpacing Carson-Newman, 3-1 (25-22, 25-21, 27-29, 25-22), Saturday afternoon at Holt Fieldhouse.
"I am proud of the effort today and the way the team responded when we fell behind," said Anderson head coach Todd Hay. "Carson-Newman served us really tough and we had to find a way to keep us in the points. Fortunately, we again had good balance offensively and got some key stops late when we needed them. Now it's on to the postseason and a chance for more volleyball."
Anderson (7-2, 7-2 SAC) ran its win streak to seven straight and captured the second seed in next week's SAC Tournament, while Carson-Newman slipped to 6-3 with its first loss in three outings and earned the No. 3 seed.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Learmonth led all players with her season-high 19 kills, while Knutsen added a season-best 14 kills on a .357 hitting percentage and notched four block assists. Senior Regan Duty knocked down 11 kills and posted four block assists, with freshman Tabitha Wheeler recording nine kills and coming up with eight digs. Junior setter Madison Roy handed out a career-high 52 assists and added 13 digs, while sophomore Alexandra Petrilli came up with a match-high 26 digs. Junior Meghan DeVaux recorded 14 digs, with sophomore Lindsay McCurley notching nine digs and three service aces.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The Trojans set the pace by hitting .412 in the opening frame, with Knutsen garnering six of her kills in the first set.
Carson-Newman scored the first six points of the set, before the Trojans roared back to knot the score at eight apiece on a kill from Duty. The Lady Eagles edged back out to an 11-8 advantage and still held a 15-12 lead before AU used a 6-1 surge to capture an 18-16 lead.
C-N responded with two straight points and pushed out to a 22-20 advantage, before Knutsen posted two straight kills and Learmonth followed with another kill to give the Trojans a lead they wouldn't surrender.
Second Set
Learmonth led AU with six kills during the second frame and the Trojans snapped an early 7-7 deadlock with a block assist from Knutsen and Roy, and then back-to-back kills from Wheeler and Knutsen. But the Lady Eagles countered with a 6-1 run to recapture the advantage and force an AU timeout.
Following the pause, AU steadily built its largest lead of the set (22-17) and went on to claim the five-point win.
Third Set
Learmonth again posted seven kills to lead the Black and Gold, with neither team able to build more than a three-point lead during the set.
With the score knotted at 24-24, Duty knocked down a kill to get AU to match point, but C-N held on and then went on to take the narrow win.
Fourth Set
The Trojans doubled up Carson-Newman early, at 8-4, but the Lady Eagles battled back to even the score at 13-13 and eventually built a 19-15 lead.
But the Trojans didn't panic and following a timeout, freshman Sadie Kluner sparked an 8-1 outburst that saw AU turn the four-point deficit into a three-point (23-20) advantage. The Trojans reached match point on another kill by Kluner and following a kill by C-N, Learmonth posted the final kill.
NOTABLES
• The overall series, which began in 2006, is deadlocked at 14 wins apiece.
• Tabitha Wheeler has posted double-figure kills in six matches but two this season and notched four straight double-doubles.
• Maya Learmonth has reached double-figure kills in six straight matches.
• Regan Duty has recorded double-figure kills in four straight matches and six of the last seven.
• Madison Roy has recorded double-doubles in five of the last seven matches.
• Alexandra Petrilli has posted double-figure digs in seven straight matches.
• The Trojans, who earned the No. 2 seed, will be making their ninth straight SAC Tournament appearance Tuesday night vs. No. 7 seeded Newberry.
• Newberry was one of only two teams to defeat the Trojans during the regular season.
UP NEXT
Anderson has earned the No. 2 seed in next week's SAC Tournament and will play host to seventh-seeded Newberry, Tuesday night at the Abney Athletic Center. First-serve vs. the Wolves is slated for 7 p.m.
