ANDERSON, S.C. – Anderson volleyball (18-3, 12-1 SAC) earned a thrilling five-set victory over Lenoir-Rhyne University (12-6, 10-4 SAC), winning 23-25, 25-14, 23-25, 29-27, and 15-11. The Trojans improved to 3-0 during their six-match homestand.
Anderson nearly erased a nine-point deficit in the opening set but fell 23-25. The Trojans responded with a dominant 25-14 win in the second set before dropping the third, 23-25. Facing a seven-point deficit in the fourth set, Anderson rallied to claim a 29-27 victory and force a decisive fifth set. After trading points early to reach a 3-3 tie, the Trojans took control and secured the match with a 15-11 win.
Senior Emily Campbell (Statesville, N.C.) led Anderson with 19 kills on a .459 hitting percentage. She also recorded five solo blocks and five block assists, surpassing 300 career blocks to become just the eighth player in program history to reach the milestone. Senior Ava Reeves (Lexington, S.C.) added 14 kills and three service aces, while sophomore Mikaylah Hedlund (Fountain Inn, S.C.) recorded 11 kills, 14 digs, and five service aces. Senior Karley Black (Leander, Texas) also reached double-digit kills with 10.
Senior Ellie Nieporte (Boca Raton, Fla.) directed the offense with 55 assists and added 12 digs. Sophomore Jamie Juhnevicz (Taylors, S.C.) led the defensive effort with 23 digs, while sophomore Kaleigh Garren (Anderson, S.C.) contributed 15 digs and senior Sophie Deese (Hickory, N.C.) added 10.
"Really proud of their belief that they could still win this match when it didn't look very good in set four," said head coach Todd Hay. "Sometimes you have to be pushed and pressured to see what you're made of and tonight that was definitely the case. We can learn from this and figure out how to perform better going forward, but in the meantime, we're really happy with the win and it's always better to learn lessons from a win than suffer defeat."
Anderson hosts Coker University on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 6 p.m. to kick off fall break.
