DENVER, COLO. – Anderson volleyball (4-2) traveled to Denver, Colorado, to compete in the 2026 Colorado Premier Challenge, an elite NCAA Division II tournament featuring some of the nation's top programs. The Trojans opened pool play against No. 5 Ferris State University (5-0) and No. 25 West Texas A&M University (3-3).
Anderson fell to Ferris State in three sets, 25-14, 25-14 and 25-19, in its opening match of the Colorado Premier Challenge. The Trojans battled throughout the match and found their rhythm in the third set, tying the score early before Ferris State pulled away to secure the sweep.
Senior Emily Campbell (Statesville, N.C.) led the Trojans' attack with 10 kills and a .350 hitting percentage. Sophomore Mikaylah Hedlund (Fountain Inn, S.C.) added seven kills, while junior Maura Kindel (Easley, S.C.) recorded six kills and three blocks. Junior Jacey Olsen (Aberdeen, N.C.) also contributed three blocks.
Senior Ellie Nieporte (Boca Raton, Fla.) paced the offense with 23 assists, while sophomore Jamie Juhnevicz (Taylors, S.C.) led the Trojans with nine digs. Sophomore Sophie Deese (Hickory, N.C.) added five digs, while Nieporte and senior Ava Reeves (Lexington, S.C.) each recorded four.
Anderson fell to West Texas A&M in four sets, 25-21, 17-25, 18-25 and 24-26. The Trojans opened the match with a victory in the first set before West Texas A&M evened the match in the second. West Texas A&M took the third set before Anderson battled throughout the fourth, tying the score multiple times before the Buffaloes scored the final two points to secure the match.
Kindel led the Trojans' attack with a career-high 19 kills and a .484 hitting percentage. Campbell added 12 kills, while Reeves recorded 10 kills. Senior Karley Black (Leander, Texas) added seven kills, while Hedlund chipped in five.
Nieporte totaled 48 assists, while Juhnevicz and Kaleigh Garren (Anderson, S.C.) led the Trojans with 15 digs.
"It's good to be tested this time of year and we are definitely learning a lot," head coach Todd Hay said. "I like how we competed most of the day, but we couldn't maintain enough pressure on our opponents to get the wins. Tomorrow is a new day and we'll learn from this and move forward. There's lots of volleyball left to be played."
Anderson will learn its seed for Saturday's bracket play later Friday evening.
