ANDERSON, S.C. - Using a balanced effort, Anderson outlasted Mars Hill, 3-2 (25-9, 22-25, 25-21, 24-26, 15-13) in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action Friday night at the Abney Athletic Center.

Both teams entered the contest looking to snap a two-match losing skid, with Anderson (10-4, 4-2 SAC) successfully defending its home court. The Trojans stayed undefeated in the Abney Center this season by winning their seventh consecutive home match, while extending MHC's losing streak to three contests. Mars Hill dropped to 5-7 overall and 2-7 in league play.

Anderson jumped out to a 7-2 advantage in the opening set and never trailed, taking advantage of errors by the Lions to build a double-digit lead and earning the first-set win.
AU's Chelsea Olson, Tiffany Rowe and Jamie Lancaster collected 10 kills without an error in the opening frame, as the Trojans posted a .462 hitting percentage.

The second set saw the Lions take a quick 4-0 advantage and Anderson was not able to recover. The Trojans climbed to within two on four occasions, the final time at 24-22, but MHC's Jenna Luke closed out the set with one of her seven kills on the night.

The score was knotted twice early in the third set, with Anderson building a 17-11 lead to 23-13 before Mars Hill scored eight straight points to close within just two, at 23-21 behind the serving of junior Sarah Paquette. Lancaster answered with a kill and the Trojans held on for the two-point win.

The fourth set saw both teams commit errors, with Mars Hill capitalizing early to build a 16-8 cushion before AU rallied behind Lindsay Doggett's serving with an 11-2 run to briefly take a one-point lead. The Lions answered with a 5-2 run of their own to grab a 23-21 edge, before AU called a timeout. The teams battled back and forth, with MHC snapping a 24-24 tie by scoring the final two points.

Anderson claimed a 6-2 advantage in the final frame before the Lions edged back to knot the score at 12-12, but AU responded to scored three of the final four points to hold off the Lions.

Led by Rowe's .409 attack percentage, Anderson recorded a .262 hitting effort on the night, with Lancaster garnering a match-high 18 kills. Olson notched 13 kills and Rowe added a season-high 12 kills. Senior Lindsay Doggett handed out 43 assists, with five Trojans reaching double figures in digs. The Trojans defense collected a combined 21 blocks on the night, with Rowe recording four solo blocks and five block assists.

Evie Tafunai led the Lions' effort with 12 kills and Marissa Wilson added 11. Laura Ann Huskey and Sarah Paquette combined for 39 assists on the night, with Maggie Murphy earning 23 digs.

Anderson will wrap up its brief conference homestand by playing host to second-place Tusculum on Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers' lone conference setback came at home to league-leading Wingate two weeks ago. First-serve versus Tusculum is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Abney Athletic Center.