JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – While battling for position in next month's South Atlantic Conference Championship, the Anderson University volleyball team opened its final two-match road swing of the season by combining a balanced offensive attack and a strong defensive effort to blank Carson-Newman, 3-0 (25-20, 25-8, 25-20) Thursday night at Holt Fieldhouse.

"I'm proud of the effort the team showed all week in preparation for tonight's match," said Anderson head coach Todd Hay. "Our offense was balanced and the front row did a solid job in setting the tone defensively. Serving was also a key component in tonight's win."

Anderson (15-6, 10-3 SAC) avenged an earlier home loss to the Eagles, while winning its third straight decision and its ninth in its last 11 outings.

Carson-Newman (15-11, 8-5 SAC), which had won three straight and six of its last seven, fell to 5-3 at home on the season.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Sophomore Sadie Kluner led the Trojans with eight kills and added a pair of block assists, with classmate Tabitha Wheeler tallying seven kills, seven digs, three service aces and three block assists. The Greenville native committed just one error in 19 swings for a .316 hitting percentage. Senior middle blocker Noelle Knutsen continued her hot hand by knocking down seven kills and recording six block assists – her second-highest total of the year.

Senior Regan Duty also recorded seven kills behind a .385 hitting accuracy, with junior Madison Roy handing out 32 assists and matching her season-high with four block assists. Sophomore Jaelyn Grimm chipped in five kills, four block assists and two aces. Senior Meghan DeVaux came up with a match-high 11 digs, while freshman Hannah Neff posted five digs and a pair of aces.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The score was tied five times early, with Knutsen and Roy combining on a block to give AU a lead they would not relinquish, at 7-6, and following an error by the Eagles, Knutsen continued to fuel the first of a pair of 4-1 scoring runs by the Trojans with her second kill of the set.

With the Trojans hitting .385 and holding Carson-Newman to .111, AU pushed out to a 15-11 advantage. The Eagles climbed back within one on three occasions – the final time at 18-17 – before Knutsen gave the Trojans some breathing room with another kill that sparked three unanswered points.

With AU later leading by four (22-18), the Eagles closed within 22-20, but Duty slowed the rally with her second kill of the set and then combined with Grimm for a crucial block and the Trojans claimed the set on a ball-handling error by the Eagles.

Second Set
AU carried the momentum over from the opening set, and with Neff, who leads the Trojans in service aces, posting two and Wheeler also notching a pair of aces, along with two kills and a block assist from Knutsen, the Trojans erupted to take a double-digit, 13-3, lead out of the gate.

While hitting .417 and holding C-N to -.267, the Black and Gold built a commanding 19-4 lead and went on to the 17-point win.

Third Set
After the Eagles opened the final set by scoring the first two points, AU answered by reeling off a 5-1 run. The score was tied three more times, with each team countering the other's scoring runs with one of their own.

With the score knotted for the final time, at 14-14, the Trojans capitalized on a service error by C-N to take the lead. Kluner added to the advantage with a kill and Wheeler followed with an ace before Knutsen and Roy posted a block to give AU an 18-14 lead.

The Eagles whittled away at AU's lead, cutting it to just one three times, with Grimm answering on the other side twice with a kill to help preserve the lead.

With the Trojans holding a tenuous, 21-20, edge Grimm posted her fifth kill of the night and Carson-Newman then committed back-to-back attack errors, while Wheeler clinched the win with a kill.

ANDERSON STAT OF THE NIGHT
The 11 total blocks by the Trojans equaled their second-highest total of the season.

NOTABLES
• AU claimed sole possession of fourth place in the league standings and is two games in front of Carson-Newman with five matches left in the regular season.
• The Trojans improved to 3-0 on the current road swing.
• AU moved to 8-0 in three-set matches this season.
• The Trojans' nine service aces tied their second-highest total of the season.
• With tonight's win Anderson, leads the overall series, 16-15.
• The Trojans and Eagles were meeting for the second time in 13 days.
• The Trojans have won three straight at Holt Fieldhouse.
• Despite having played five fewer sets than C-N senior setter Abbey Hildenbrand, AU's Madison Roy reclaimed the league lead with 869 total assists and a conference-best 11.14 assists per set.
• Noelle Knutsen's match-high six block assists marked the Parker, Colo., native's second-highest tally of the season. She is averaging nearly six blocks per contest over the past five matches.
• Meghan DeVaux leads a balanced Trojan defensive effort and has recorded double-figure digs 15 times this season.

UP NEXT
Anderson will be seeking its fourth straight win Friday afternoon, when the Trojans visit Lincoln Memorial. First-serve in Harrogate, Tenn., is scheduled for 5 p.m.