DENVER, COLO. - The Anderson Univeristy (6-2) volleyball team was able to finish atop the Bronze Division at the 2026 Colorado Permier Challenge. Playing against some of the best opponents in the country, the Trojans were able to bounce back from a pair of losses yesterday to take home a pair of 3-0 sweeps over Regis and Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday, September 5.
"I'm really proud of the team and how they bounced back today from a tough day one," said head coach Todd Hay. "We felt like we had a good opportunity to pick up two wins on this trip and the team made it happen. The nightcap against PBA was a great back a forth affair between two good teams (just like last year) and we just happen to make a few more plays at the right time. Hopefully we learned a lot and can carry this confidence into conference play on Friday night."
Anderson cruised to a three-set sweep of Regis, 25-19, 25-20, 25-17, for its first win at the Colorado Premier Challenge. The Trojans fell behind early in the opening set but battled back behind a .263 hitting percentage to take the set. The Rangers kept the second and third sets close, but the Trojans maintained their lead to secure the sweep.
The Trojans' offense was led by senior Karley Black (Leander, Texas), who recorded 10 kills and a .400 hitting percentage. Senior Emily Campbell (Statesville, N.C.) also tallied 10 kills and three block assists, with senior Ava Reeves (Lexington, S.C.) and sophomore Mikaylah Hedlund (Fountain Inn, S.C.) added seven kills apiece.
Senior Ellie Nieporte (Boca Raton, Fla.) dished out 24 assists in two sets, while junior Mia Bennett (Boiling Springs, S.C.) contributed nine in the final set. Hedlund led the team with nine digs, while sophomores Kaleigh Garren (Anderson, S.C.) and Jamie Juhnevicz (Taylors, S.C.) recorded eight and seven, respectively.
In their second contest of the day, the Trojans again used a strong hitting performance to take the 3-0 sweep of Palm Beach Atlantic, 25-18, 26-24, 25-22. The Trojans were able to amass a hitting percentage of .308 on the evening, with only their first set performance falling below the .300 mark.
Karley Blacka led the squad with 11 kills in the contest while Maura Kindel and Mikaylah Hedlund each tossed in 10 kills themselves. Emily Campbell continued to show her strong presence at the net, adding in five blocks to her season tally, while Ellie Nieporte and Kindel chipped in three of their own. Nieporte led the squad with 45 assists in the contest while Jamie Juhnevicz was able to record 13 digs, just two more than Hedlund who recorded 11.
The Trojans only trailed once in the opening set, but had to play a little bit of comeback in each of the final two sets to secure the sweep, but their hitting percentages of .326 and .333 in the frames lifted them to the victory.
Anderson finds themselves in friendly confines of the Abney Athletic Center for their next match-up, as they open up South Atlantic Conference play this upcoming weekend with a Friday match against Carson-Newman at 6:00 p.m. before taking on the Railsplitter of Lincoln Memorial on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
