Anderson University

JEFFERSON CITY, TENN. - Anderson volleyball (14-3, 8-1 SAC) suffered its first South Atlantic Conference loss of the season Friday night, falling to Carson-Newman (13-5, 6-4 SAC) in a five-set battle, 3-2 (13-25, 25-23, 24-26, 27-25, 15-10), at Holt Fieldhouse.

The Trojans opened the match with a strong first set, hitting .378 as a team en route to a 25-13 victory. Anderson continued to battle in the second set before Carson-Newman evened the match with a 25-23 win, and the Trojans regained the lead in the third set, edging the Eagles 26-24. Carson-Newman answered with a 27-25 fourth-set victory to force a deciding fifth set, where the Eagles completed the comeback with a 15-10 win.

Sophomore Mikaylah Hedlund (Fountain Inn, S.C.) led the Trojans with a career-high 22 kills, hitting .377 while adding 16 digs. Senior Emily Campbell (Statesville, N.C.) and senior Ava Reeves (Lexington, S.C.) each finished with 16 kills, while junior Maura Kindel (Easley, S.C.) added 11 kills. 

Senior Ellie Nieporte (Boca Raton, Fla.) paced the Anderson offense with 58 assists and added 22 digs, while sophomore Jamie Juhnevicz (Taylors, S.C.) led the defensive effort with 23 digs. The Trojans recorded 11 total blocks, with Campbell leading the way with one solo block and six block assists. Reeves, Campbell, Juhnevicz, and sophomore Kaleigh Garren (Anderson, S.C.) each chipped in a service ace. 

"Tough tonight on the road, but we fought really hard and there were a lot of positives," said head coach Todd Hay. "Hopefully we will learn and continue to grow as a team. There are still 13 conference matches left to be played. It's a marathon, not a sprint." 

The Trojans take the court tomorrow, Oct. 3, to take on Lincoln Memorial University at 2:00 p.m.