HARROGATE, Tenn. – Anderson volleyball (15-3, 9-1 SAC) bounced back in a big way Saturday afternoon, rallying for a four-set victory over Lincoln Memorial (8-7, 6-5 SAC), 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-16), at Mary Mars Gym. The victory marked a career milestone for head coach Todd Hay, who earned his 300th career win.
After dropping the opening set, 25-22, the Trojans responded with three consecutive set victories to close out the match. Anderson edged Lincoln Memorial in a pair of 25-23 sets before pulling away in the fourth, 25-16, to secure the bounce-back win.
The Trojans found their rhythm as the match progressed, hitting .294 in the third set and .268 in the fourth while limiting Lincoln Memorial to a combined .113 hitting percentage over the final two sets. Anderson finished the match hitting .220 as a team.
Senior Ava Reeves (Lexington, S.C.) led the Anderson attack with 13 kills while hitting .333, while senior Emily Campbell (Statesville, N.C.) added 12 kills and a team-high three solo blocks. Sophomore Mikaylah Hedlund (Fountain Inn, S.C.) finished with 11 kills and 11 digs, while senior Karley Black (Leander, Texas) recorded 10 kills while hitting .400.
Senior Ellie Nieporte (Boca Raton, Fla.) paced the offense with 38 assists and added 13 digs. Sophomore Jamie Juhnevicz (Taylors, S.C.) led the defensive effort with 12 digs, while freshman Caroline Tucker (Lexington, S.C.) contributed nine digs and two service aces.
"We had to get our mindset right for a quick turnaround matchup today," said Hay. "We knew this would be a much closer match than our previous one at home and it was. I'm proud of how we got better, especially on defense as the match progressed. At the start of set four, we made a key defensive adjustment that paid off and helped us pull away to finish the match. We look forward to seeing everyone at home this coming Friday and Saturday. Go Trojans!"
The Trojans return home to host Emory & Henry on Friday, Oct. 9, at 6 p.m.
