ANDERSON, S.C. - Paced by the sophomore duo of Hailey Pittman and Shannon Gillespie, the Anderson University volleyball team opened a two-match South Atlantic Conference homestand by outlasting Catawba, 3-2 (25-12, 18-25, 22-25, 27-25, 16-14) Friday night at the Abney Athletic Center.

Anderson (9-8, 2-5 SAC) snapped a three-match skid with the victory and also halted a three-match losing streak at hands of Catawba (6-7, 3-2 SAC), which has dropped two of its last three decisions.

"With this being our sixth five-set match I am so proud of my team for fighting and never giving up even when behind in the fourth and fifth set," said Anderson head coach Craig Mosqueda. "This was a well-deserved victory as we fought for every point. Catawba did a great job of forcing us to change defenses but we did a great job changing to a defense we have never practiced. I want to thank the fans for coming out tonight. I think they got their money's worth."

The Trojans capitalized on Catawba miscues in the opening set to turn a narrow two-point lead into a 16-7 advantage on the strength of an 8-1 run. AU built a late double-digit cushion and claimed the win on a kill from freshman Victoria Wehrmann.

Catawba rallied to take a 2-1 lead in sets, as the Indians scored the first point of the second frame and never trailed en route to the 25-18 victory. Anderson jumped out to an early lead in the third set, but the Indians snapped just the second tie of the set, 5-5, with a pair of kills, first from Haley Lanier, then by Rachel Gallup to take a lead they would not relinquish. The Trojans never trailed by more than six, but were unable to regain the lead with Catawba earning the narrow 25-22 win.

The fourth set featured 11 ties, with Catawba snapping the fifth tie with a 5-1 run to gain a four-point edge. But the Trojans refused to surrender and regained a brief 15-14 lead behind a 7-1 run on a kill from Gillespie. However, the Indians quickly regained the lead and held the advantage until a Wehrmann kill gave AU a 21-20 edge. The Trojans battled to set point at 24-23 before Gallup recorded a kill to even the score and took a 25-24 lead before the Trojans countered with three unanswered to take the 27-25 win.

Catawba used a 6-1 run to jump out to a 7-4 advantage in the fifth and final set before Gillespie and Pittman recorded back-to-back kills to pull AU within a point. But Catawba held the lead until Pittman knocked down a pair of kills to even the set at 14 apiece. Anderson then capitalized on an error and Gillespie capped the win with a kill.

Pittman, who entered the match ranked seventh in the SAC in kills per set, led the Trojans with 18 kills, while Gillespie, who was fifth in the league in kills, notched her ninth double-double of the season with 15 kills and 23 digs. Cautero, who leads the conference in assists, also notched a double-double by handing out 39 assists and recording 17 digs on the night. Teammate Kalie Endres chipped in 12 assists. Sophomore Alix Hooker came up with a team-high 27 digs, while Kelley Lacey added 21 and freshman Kim Adkins posted 11 digs. Rowe, who leads the SAC in blocks, posted five block assists and a solo block.

Catawba's Gallup led all players with 24 kills, while preseason first-team All-Conference selection Kaitlyn Whitmer added 23. Another preseason all-conference selection, Jordan Raye, dished out a match-high 45 assists. The Indians' Jenny Young recorded 51 digs.

Anderson plays host to South Atlantic Conference perennial powerhouse Wingate on Saturday, with first-serve slated for 2 p.m. at the Abney Athletic Center.