ANDERSON, S.C. – The Anderson University volleyball team maintained its grasp on first place in the South Atlantic Conference standings by blanking Carson-Newman, 3-0 (25-23, 25-16, 25-14) Friday night at the Abney Athletic Center.
"It was not our best effort to start the match and we made some uncharacteristic errors," said Anderson head coach Todd Hay. "Carson-Newman served us tough and we had to adjust. However, Coach Moran and I were pleased at how we steadied out and kept getting better throughout the match."
Anderson (23-3, 16-1 SAC) celebrated Senior Night by posting its school-record 18th straight win and remained undefeated at home by knotting the overall series with the Eagles at 10 apiece. Carson-Newman fell to 14-12 overall and 9-9 in the league with its second straight setback.
"These four seniors have dedicated so much time and effort into our Trojan volleyball family," added Hay. "They are leaving behind a legacy of excellence both on and off the court. We honor them tonight and pray a special blessing over them as they prepare to graduate."
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Senior outside hitter Marissa Mitter knocked down a match-high 15 kills and added 14 digs for her 12th double-double of the season, while committing just two attack errors in 32 swings for a .406 hitting percentage. Senior middle blocker Rachel Burts tallied 14 kills on the strength of a .435 hitting percentage, with senior Serena Jackson notching eight kills and three blocks. Senior Mallory McFerron recorded three kills and three digs in the win.
Sophomore setter Emily Conlin dished out 42 assists and came up with six digs, while junior Emily Conard posted 13 digs. Junior Jayln Knight added five kills, 10 digs and a pair of clutch service aces.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Behind a .333 hitting percentage, Carson-Newman jumped out to an early 9-2 lead in the opening minutes. But Burts sandwiched a pair of kills around Knight's first kill of the contest to spark a sluggish Black and Gold offense and get the Trojans within four.
The Eagles countered with three straight points of their own and equaled their largest lead of the night, at 12-5, before the Trojans capitalized on three consecutive Carson-Newman errors to ignite a 7-2 scoring outburst. Mitter knocked down three kills to help fuel the comeback.
After Carson-Newman rattled off two straight points, the Trojans closed within three on five occasions before a 6-2 surge turned a 19-16 deficit into a 22-21 AU advantage. The Eagles quickly scored two straight, but Jackson posted a kill, then teamed with sophomore Kathryn Hughes on a block to reach set point and AU claimed the win on an Eagle miscue.
Second Set
The Trojans hit .316 and never trailed in the second frame, as Mitter broke an early 1-1 deadlock with a kill to begin a run of six unanswered points for AU. Following a Carson-Newman timeout, the Eagles responded with a 5-1 surge to trim AU's advantage to 8-6.
McFerron answered with a kill for the Trojans and Knight followed with back-to-back kills to boost AU's cushion back to five and the Black and Gold maintained at least a three-point margin until posting a strong finish for the nine-point win.
Third Set
The third frame was knotted four times before Knight's service ace sparked an 8-1 outburst that saw AU double up the Eagles, at 14-7.
The Trojans surged out to a double-figure 17-7 lead and built their largest advantage, at 21-8, before taking the 11-point victory.
ANDERSON STAT OF THE NIGHT
The Trojans have reached the 23-win plateau for the fifth time in program history.
NOTES
• The Trojans recognized seniors Serena Jackson, Rachel Burts, Mallory McFerron and Marissa Mitter, who have helped lead AU to 77 wins in four seasons, four appearances in the SAC Tournament, an NCAA Tournament appearance and a number three ranking in the most recent NCAA Southeast Region during their careers.
• The Trojans have clinched no lower than the No. 2 seed in the SAC Tournament later this month – marking their highest regular-season finish since joining the conference in 2010 - and will host a quarterfinal round on Tuesday, Nov. 14.
• AU has won 14 consecutive home matches dating back to last season.
UP NEXT
Anderson will wrap up its regular-season home slate when the Trojans play host to Lincoln Memorial, Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
