ANDERSON, S.C. - Using a season-high .358 hitting percentage, the sixth-seeded Anderson volleyball team upset third-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne, 3-0 (27-25, 25-21, 25-23) in the quarterfinals of the 2013 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament Friday night at Newberry College's Eleazer Arena.

In its second consecutive conference tournament appearance and third in four years, Anderson (17-13) notched its' first-ever win in the SAC Tournament. The Trojans have won three straight and four of their last five outings, while Lenoir-Rhyne (17-10) had its win streak halted at four.

"That was probably the best match we have played all year and the best execution from start to finish," said Anderson head coach Craig Mosqueda. "Our offense was hot and stayed hot the whole match. Our ball handling was excellent and truly what we have done well all year. We worked on a lot of things this week including reducing our unforced errors and that was the difference (tonight). Another huge help was Tinsley's hitting percentage and our great blocking. Tonight we will need to refocus and prepare for tomorrow."

Anderson advances to meet No. 2 seed Tusculum, which swept Mars Hill earlier Friday, in Saturday afternoon's second semifinal match, slated for 4 p.m.

With the win past the regionally sixth-ranked Bears, the Trojans kept alive their hopes of earning the school's second-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament. Anderson entered the conference tournament as the ninth-ranked team in the NCAA's Southeast Region and with fifth-ranked Lincoln Memorial falling in the quarterfinal round along with Lenoir-Rhyne and No. 7 Newberry, the Trojans will find out Monday night if they are to make an appearance in the event.

Led offensively by first-team all-conference selections Hailey Pittman and Shannon Gillespie, the Trojans jumped out to an early 5-2 lead in the opening set, but the Bears quickly evened the score at five apiece. Anderson countered by steadily building an eight-point, 19-11, advantage before Lenoir-Rhyne mounted a furious comeback behind a 13-4 outburst that saw the Bears take their first lead of the frame, at 24-23.

But the Trojans held off set point by taking advantage of back-to-back errors by the Bears to claim a 25-24 edge. L-R knotted the score again at 25-25 on a kill by first-team all-conference selection Haley Rhyne. However Pittman's kill gave Anderson a lead it would not relinquish and the Trojans claimed the set on another miscue by the Bears.

The second set saw Anderson keep the momentum and race out to a quick 8-2 lead, with four different Trojans contributing kills during the surge. With AU holding an 18-13 edge, Lenoir-Rhyne posted a 6-1 run to even the score for the first time, at 19 apiece. Redshirt freshman Tinsley Hallman snapped a 20-20 deadlock with one of her nine kills on the night and the Trojans took a three-point lead on back-to-back service aces from junior Alix Hooker. L-R junior Brittany Toffan knocked down a kill, but outside hitter Priscilla Irizarry finished the set for Anderson with a kill.

With Anderson holding a 14-11 lead in the third and final set, the Bears rattled off a 6-2 run to take a brief 17-16 advantage. But Pittman and junior Meghan Cautero later combined to block Rhyne's attack attempt, giving the Trojans a 20-19 lead, and AU held off the Bears down the stretch. L-R climbed within 24-23 on a kill from sophomore Ashley Wells, but Gillespie answered with the final kill of the match.

Pittman led all players with 15 kills on the strength of a .560 hitting percentage, while adding three block assists. Gillespie finished just shy of her 23rd double-double of the season, with 14 kills and nine digs, while Cautero dished out a team-high 39 assists. Hooker tallied a match-high 20 digs on the night, with Hallman posting an impressive .412 hitting percentage.

Eight teams from each of the eight regions will advance to the NCAA Division II tournament. In the Southeast Region, the tournament champions from the SAC, Peach Belt, and Conference Carolinas will receive an automatic bid, with five more at-large selections. The NCAA Championship selections are slated to be revealed on Monday.