ANDERSON, S.C. - Anderson overcame a slow start and a hot-hitting Lincoln Memorial squad, as the Trojans rallied to outlast the Lady Railsplitters, 3-2 (12-25, 25-23, 19-25, 25-21, 15-8) in South Atlantic Conference volleyball action Saturday afternoon at the Abney Athletic Center.

"Things didn't look great for us early on," said Anderson head coach Craig Mosqueda. "I wasn't sure how we were going to finish, but we came together the second set a little bit, became inconsistent again in the third set and then became consistent in the fourth and fifth sets. I feel like the fourth and fifth sets are really a true indicator of the way the team can play."

Anderson (14-5, 7-4 SAC) has won two of its last three outings, while claiming just the third win in school history past Lincoln Memorial (10-9, 6-5 SAC), which has dropped two of its last three matches.

Senior Shannon Gillespie notched her second double-double of the season with a match-high 21 kills and 10 digs, while hitting .328 on the afternoon. She also posted a pair of block assists. Senior middle blocker Hailey Pittman recorded 19 kills on a .436 hitting percentage and tallied three block assists. Sophomore Priscilla Irizarry earned her seventh double-double of the campaign with a season-best 45 assists and 10 digs. Senior Alix Hooker collected a team-high 21 digs, with freshman Kendall Vallancourt chipping in eight kills. Fellow freshman Mallory McFerron came off the bench to tally four kills and five digs in three sets.

Sophomore Brooke Fleeman led LMU with 15 kills, while junior middle blocker Jazzy Oates tallied 13 and outside hitter Kiera Holland notched 12. Graduate student MaRanda Boddie chipped in 11 kills for the Lady Railsplitters. Sophomore Abby Cash handed out 54 assists and junior libero Casey Mense, a preseason All-SAC first team selection, recorded 27 digs.

The Lady Railsplitters hit .394 in the opening set, snapping an early 4-4 deadlock with five unanswered points and doubled up the Trojans, 10-5. With LMU leading, 11-5, and Gillespie serving for AU, the Trojans answered by reeling off four straight points of their own to climb within two, but AU would get no closer through the remainder of the frame, as LMU countered with six consecutive points to put the set out of reach.

Gillespie and Pittman each added seven kills in the second set after the Lady Railsplitters opened the frame with a 6-1 outburst. The Trojans chipped away to pull within 9-8 before LMU scored four straight points to build a brief 13-8 cushion, but AU again battled back with a 6-1 surge of its own to knot the score for just the second time of the set, at 14 apiece. With the score even at 19-19, the Trojans took advantage of an LMU error and a kill by Pittman to take a lead they would not relinquish. Gillespie and sophomore Jessica Harris combined for a block to give AU a 24-21 lead and following a kill from LMU's Allison Beavers and a service ace from Kendra Gephart, Gillespie clinched the set with a kill.

The Trojans dug themselves an early hole in the third set and were never quite able to recover after LMU raced out to an early 9-1 lead. AU stayed within striking distance and trimmed the deficit to four on three occasions before climbing within 20-17 late. But Beavers and Oates responded with back-to-back kills to regain the momentum, and LMU held off the Trojans for the win.

Led by Gillespie and Pittman's combined 11 kills with just one error in 26 attempts in the fourth set, Anderson posted a .342 hitting percentage. The Trojans steadily built a 10-5 lead before LMU reeled off five consecutive points to even the score at 10 apiece. AU used a 6-2 run to push out to a 16-12 advantage and pulled away late for a 24-15 cushion. With no margin for error, the Lady Railsplitters then scored six straight points before committing an error to set the final score, as the Trojans forced a fifth and deciding set.

LMU committed six attacking miscues in the final frame, posting a -.100 hitting percentage, with AU capitalizing on the errors. The score featured six ties with neither team able to build more than a two-point lead until the Trojans snapped an 8-8 deadlock with seven unanswered points to claim the win. With Gillespie serving for the final six points, Vallancourt posted three kills during the deciding run.

"For three sets yesterday and two sets today, we definitely were not the team we were when we beat Newberry last week. We will work on some things Monday at practice and get back to our old ways."

Anderson wraps up its four-match conference homestand by welcoming Lenoir-Rhyne to the Abney Center on Tuesday. First-serve is set for 7 p.m.