ANDERSON, S.C. - The visiting Lenoir Rhyne Bears rallied from a two-set deficit to defeat Anderson 3-2 (23-25, 24-26, 25-15, 25-11, 15-12) in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action Friday night at the Abney Athletic Center.

Anderson slipped to 5-16 overall and 3-8 in league play, while Lenoir-Rhyne (13-9, 5-6 SAC) claimed a sweep of the season series, while winning its second straight match.

Anderson used a stellar .361 hitting percentage to claim the opening set, gaining their first lead at 13-12, then used a 4-0 run to snap a 13-13 tie. The Bears came out of a timeout by scoring a pair of points, but AU responded with two of its own to regain the four-point edge.

Lenoir-Rhyne crept back, tying the score for the fourth time at 19-19 and the two teams battled back and forth before AU sophomore Joy Hiller sandwiched two of her 13 kills on the night around an L-R point to give the Trojans the hard-fought win.

The second set featured 14 ties, with the Trojans staging a late rally to pull out the win. Neither team was able to gain more than a three-point lead throughout the set, with Lenoir-Rhyne going on a 3-0 run to earn an 11-8 lead, but the Trojans later scored four unanswered points to gain a 16-14 edge and force another Bears' timeout.

AU pushed out to its largest lead, at 21-18, but L-R countered three straight points to knot the score at 21 apiece. There were three more tie scores before freshman Shannon Gillespie notched a kill and the Bears committed an error, as AU took the win.

Lenoir-Rhyne broke a 5-5 tie with a 9-1 outburst in the third set and the Trojans were not able to recover, as the Bears pushed out to a double-digit lead route to claiming the set.

Errors proved costly for the Trojans in the fourth set, with Lenoir-Rhyne again building a double-digit advantage and winning the set.

The final set was tied three times early, but the Bears were able to gain a 12-7 cushion before AU rallied to climb within 14-12 in the final moments. But it was as close as the Trojans would get, as Lenoir-Rhyne earned the win with a kill from freshman Haley Rhyne.

Freshman Shannon Gillespie recorded her fifth double-double of the season with a match-high 17 kills and 18 digs on the defensive side. Senior Marlie Bryant notched her first double-double of the year with a season-high 11 kills and 17 digs. Hiller added 13 kills, while freshman Meghan Cautero handed out a 42 assists and Alix Hooker posted a 10-digs effort. Junior Tiffany Rowe knocked down five total blocks on the night.

Anderson will get back on the court Saturday afternoon for a tri-match at the Abney Center, with the Trojans facing conference-foe Brevard at 1 p.m. Francis Marion and Brevard are slated to play at 3 p.m., while AU and Francis Marion will square off at 5 p.m.