ANDERSON, S.C. - A strong defensive effort lifted the Anderson University volleyball team to a 3-1 (22-25, 25-19, 25-19, 25-20) South Atlantic Conference win past Brevard Friday night at the Abney Athletic Center.

With its third straight victory, Anderson (7-4, 5-1 SAC) moved into a four-way logjam for first place in the league, alongside Wingate, Carson-Newman and Lenoir-Rhyne. The Trojans improved to 10-1 all-time versus Brevard with their sixth straight win past the Tornados.

Brevard slipped to 2-8 overall and 1-5 in league action, while suffering its third straight setback.

Sophomore Serena Jackson led the Trojan offense with 14 kills and chipped in four block assists, while junior Jessica Harris, who was coming off career outing three nights ago versus Newberry, added nine kills on a .381 hitting percentage. Redshirt junior Priscilla Irizarry handed out a match-best 38 assists and came up with 14 digs, marking her fifth double-double of the season. She also posted four block assists, as did junior Allison Gaminde. Redshirt junior Tinsley Hallman and freshman Conard each notched 12 digs, with freshman Jayln Knight tallying 11 digs.

The Trojans notched a season-high 18 block assists on the night, and after Brevard posted a .318 attack percentage in the opening set, AU held the visitors to .088 hitting accuracy the rest of the night.

Brevard raced out to a quick 7-1 advantage in the opening set and the Trojans were never able to recover. The six-point lead marked the Tornados largest of the frame, as AU rallied back within one point on four occasions before finally drawing even at 15-15 when Tinsley Hallman and Jessica Harris combined for a block. The set was deadlocked four more times before the Trojans took their first lead of the frame, at 20-19, on an ace from sophomore Marissa Mitter. But the lead was short-lived, as Brevard countered by closing the set on a 6-2 run.

Anderson reversed the tables in the second set by jumping out to an early 7-2 lead. Brevard crept within a single point twice, but AU held off the Tornados each time and never surrendered the lead, as the Trojans took their largest lead, 18-12, on an error by Brevard and went on to claim the six-point set victory.

The Trojans overcame an early deficit in the third set and took their first lead, at 10-9, when the Tornados committed another miscue. With the score deadlocked at 12 apiece, AU reeled off a 10-2 outburst to take control of the set and held the margin the rest of the way.

The fourth set featured 11 ties and nine lead changes before the Trojans snapped a 17-17 tie with three consecutive points and went on to claim the four-set win.

Anderson will be looking for its fourth consecutive victory Saturday afternoon, when Lenoir-Rhyne invades the Abney Center for a 2 p.m. first-serve.