HICKORY, N.C. - Anderson volleyball (14-2, 8-0 SAC) battled through a tough five-set match with Lenoir-Rhyne (9-4, 7-2 SAC), earning a 3-2 victory, 21-25, 25-16, 25-17, 21-25, 15-12, to remain undefeated in South Atlantic Conference play and extend their win streak to 10.
Anderson fell behind early after dropping the opening set 25-21, but responded with a 25-16 victory in the second. The Trojans held the Bears to a .050 hitting percentage in the third set en route to a 25-17 win. Lenoir-Rhyne answered with a 25-21 fourth-set victory to force a decisive fifth set. The teams traded points throughout the final frame before Anderson pulled away for the 15-12 win.
Sophomore Mikaylah Hedlund (Fountain Inn, S.C.) led the Trojans with 18 kills and recorded a double-double with 11 digs. Senior Emily Campbell (Statesville, N.C.) added 14 kills and set the program career record for solo blocks with one on the night, bringing her career total to 74. Senior Ava Reeves (Lexington, S.C.) and senior Karley Black (Leander, Texas) contributed 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
Senior Ellie Nieporte (Boca Raton, Fla.) directed the Anderson offense with 54 assists, surpassing 3,000 career assists in the process. Sophomore Jamie Juhnevicz (Taylors, S.C.) led the team with 14 digs, while the Trojans totaled 10 blocks.
"First off, we need to congratulate Emily for becoming the all-time AU leader in solo blocks and Ellie for achieving 3,000 assists in her career. They have worked hard and deserve recognition," said head coach Todd Hay. "The match itself was back and forth between two good teams. It just came down to which team could sustain good play long enough and not beat themselves. Mikaylah and Emily were fantastic tonight on the offensive end, and our defense gave us just enough spark at some critical moments to get the win. We look forward to getting back in the gym tomorrow and getting better. Go Trojans!
The Trojans head to Tennessee to take on Carson-Newman University on Friday, Oct. 2, at 6:00 p.m.
