HARTSVILLE, S.C. - The Anderson volleyball team clinched a berth in next week's South Atlantic Conference Championship by taking a two-set lead, then holding off Coker for a dramatic five-set victory, as the Trojans won 25-17, 25-15, 25-27, 19-25, 17-15, Friday night at the DeLoach Center.

With the conference tournament slated to start in one week at AU's Abney Athletic Center, the Trojans improved to 11-16 overall and 9-12 in conference action by overcoming a season-high 35 attack errors. AU claimed its first road win since knocking off Queens on Oct. 16 in Charlotte and snapped a four-game skid by sweeping the season series. Coker fell to 4-23 overall and 1-20 in the league with its 13th consecutive loss.

Sophomore Marissa Mitter led all players with 20 kills, while notching her sixth straight double-figure kill outing. Junior Priscilla Irizarry recorded her 14th double-double of the season by dishing out a career-high 68 assists and tallying 22 digs on the night, while freshman Emily Conard came up with a career-best 38 digs. Junior Tinsley Hallman notched her sixth double-double of the campaign with 14 kills and a season-high 26 digs. Sophomore Serena Jackson posted her 14th match with double-figure kills after recording 13 on the night, with junior Jessica Harris adding 16 kills and five total blocks.

Behind the strong serving of Hallman and Conard, the Trojans jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the opening set, only to see the Cobras respond with a 7-1 outburst to capture a brief 9-7 edge. But Anderson countered with six unanswered points of its own to take a lead it would not relinquish, at 13-9. The Trojans capitalized on three errors and Harris knocked down a pair of kills to fuel the decisive run. Leading by three, at 16-13, AU posted another 7-3 surge to put the frame out of reach and went on to claim the eight-point win.

The second set featured seven early ties, with Hallman's fourth kill of the frame snapping an 8-8 deadlock and igniting a 12-3 run by the Trojans that sealed the set victory. Mitter contributed three kills, with Hallman adding another pair of kills during the outburst that boosted AU's lead to 20-12, as the Trojans went on to claim the double-digit win.

Anderson carried the momentum into the early moments of the third set, but after a kill from Harris gave the Trojans a 10-6 lead, the Cobras countered with a 14-3 surge that saw them claim a 20-13 advantage. But AU refused to go away quietly, as the Trojans rallied to within 24-20, then held off set point three times with four unanswered points to even the score at 24 apiece. After Coker scored the next point, Jackson knotted the score at 25-25 with a kill, but back-to-back miscues by the Black and Gold saw the Cobras complete the comeback.

Coker scored the first six points of the fourth set en route to taking a 13-4 lead to open the fourth frame and the Trojans were unable to recover. AU trimmed the deficit to five on two occasions - both times on a kill from Mitter - but was unable to get any closer, as the match went to a fifth and deciding set.

The two teams combined for 13 attack errors in the final frame, but the Trojans built an early 7-3 lead and never trailed, as they went on to earn their fourth consecutive postseason appearance. But the Trojans had to earn the win, as Coker overcame a 10-5 AU advantage and push out to a 13-11 lead. But Jackson, Harris and Mitter answered with kills to regain the advantage for the Trojans, before the Cobras knotted the score at 14 apiece. Following a kill and a miscue from Harris, Mitter knocked down a kill and Harris clinched the win and the tournament bid with her 16th kill.

Anderson will face Wingate, which claimed the No. 1 seed in the tournament with a win over Newberry, in the regular-season finale on Saturday afternoon, with first-serve set for 5 p.m.