ANDERSON, S.C. - Despite out-hitting the visitors .240 to .214 on the night, the Anderson University volleyball team dropped a 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-21) decision to Carson-Newman in South Atlantic Conference action Friday night at the Abney Athletic Center.

"It was definitely a disappointing night," said Anderson head coach Craig Mosqueda. "Even though we hit .240 on the evening, I thought mentally we just were not prepared to fight and we made a lot of errors in other areas where we normally do not. We did do some things well, including hitting. I thought we got some blocks in the match, but there were some areas where we struggled. Hopefully we rebound tomorrow and get back into it."

Anderson (13-5, 6-4 SAC) has dropped two of its last three, while Carson-Newman (13-4, 9-1 SAC), which entered the contest tied for second place in the league standings, has won eight of its last nine and snapped a four-game losing streak at the hands of the Trojans.

Senior Hailey Pittman led all players with 15 kills on the strength of a .483 hitting percentage and added five block assists on the night. The 5-foot-11 middle blocker committed just one error in 29 attack attempts through the three sets. Senior Shannon Gillespie added eight kills and seven digs, while sophomore Priscilla Irizarry handed out 28 assists and recorded four block assists. Sophomore Taylor Underwood notched 12 digs, with Tinsley Hallman and senior Alix Hooker each coming up with 10.

Outside hitter Rachel Harper, a two-time SAC Player of the Week honoree this season, led the Eagles with 14 kills on a .209 hitting percentage, while junior middle blocker Kiayna O'Neal chipped in 12 kills and reigning SAC Player of the Week, Jenna Wilson notched 11 kills. Kristen Pickett recorded a double-double with 37 assists and 12 digs.

The Trojans dug an early hole in the first set, falling behind 7-1, as Harper posted four service aces, including three straight in the early going. But the Trojan battled back behind a 10-4 outburst that knotted the score at 11 apiece. AU then took its first lead of the night, 13-12, on an error from Harper before the Eagles countered with five unanswered points to take a 17-13 advantage. The Trojans trimmed the deficit to just three late in the set, but the Eagles' Kyrie Pennington notched three of C-N's final points to seal the win.

With Hooker and Hallman serving to open the second frame, AU jumped out to a 7-2 lead to force a Carson-Newman timeout. With the Trojans leading, 8-5, the Eagles went on a 6-2 run to claim their first lead of the set. Anderson then snapped a 12-12 deadlock with a pair of Pittman kills and a C-N error, but the Eagles bounced back to even the score at 16 apiece and the score was tied four more times before the Eagles edged out to a 22-20 lead. AU capitalized on Carson-Newman errors to even the score for the final time, at 23 apiece, before Wilson and Pennington knocked down back-to-back kills.

With Hallman serving early in the third set, the Trojans pushed out to a 7-3 lead on a kill from Gillespie, but C-N used a 5-1 surge to even the score at eight apiece. Harper followed shortly with a kill to give the Eagles a lead they would not surrender. The Trojans stayed within striking distance, as Carson-Newman never led by more than four until late in the frame, but the Trojans were unable to overtake the visitors, with the Eagles holding on for the win.

Anderson will look to get back in the win column when the Trojans play host to Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, with first-serve slated for 2 p.m. at the Abney Center.