Mars Hill downed in regular season finale against SAC leading Anderson
The Mars Hill volleyball team dropped their 2017 regular season finale against Anderson, 3-0 (20-25, 13-25, 26-28) in Stanford Arena Saturday afternoon. The Lions honored Sara Fahrenbrook, Ellen Davis, Lauren Hochstetler and Rebecca Butler prior to first serve on senior day.
MARS HILL, N.C. - The Mars Hill volleyball team dropped their 2017 regular season finale against Anderson, 3-0 (20-25, 13-25, 26-28) in Stanford Arena Saturday afternoon. The Lions honored Sara Fahrenbrook, Ellen Davis, Lauren Hochstetler and Rebecca Butler prior to first serve on senior day.
Mars Hill entered the contest on a four-game winning streak and battled tough in the first set to rattle Anderson. The Trojans took the opening three points before the Lions took seven of the next nine to lead 7-5 early in the set. Mars Hill maintained a lead until an error from Maddie Spurgeon gave Anderson a 16-15 lead late. The Trojans took nine of the next 15 points to close out the frame.
Serena Jackson led the Trojans with four kills in the set, followed by Marissa Mitter and Kathryn Hughes had three each. Hochstetler and Sally Anne Johnson each had three kills in the set.
Anderson turned up the intensity and pace in the second set, jumping out to 10-4 lead to open the second stanza. Mitter, the South Atlantic Conference leader in kills with 354 prior to the contest, continued her offensive dominance, knocking down five kills in the frame.
The Trojans led by as many 13 points heading into the end of the set. Mars Hill battled back to earn a few points off of kills from Johnson and Butler, but the large lead held as Anderson carried a 2-0 lead into the third set.
In a dramatic and tense third set, Anderson was pushed to the edge in the final several points, conceding a 22-20 lead. A kill from Hochstetler and ace from Sarah Pasour, her third of the game, tied the set at 22. Both teams traded points back and forth as a raucous home crowd encouraged the home team. Three straight points from Anderson quelled the comeback effort and sent the Trojans home with their 21st consecutive victory.
Mitter led all players with 13 kills on the day while Emily Conlin added 39 assists to sit in second place in the conference with 1121 assists. Emily Conard had 26 digs on the afternoon.
Hochstetler led the Lions with 12 kills, followed by Johnson and Butler who each had five. Davis had two kills and a block assist, while Fahrenbrook had 10 assists and three digs. Johnson paced all Lions defensively with three block assists.
The Lions end the regular season with a 11-16 (9-11 SAC) record while Anderson heads into tournament play as the no. 1 seed with a record of 26-3 (19-1 SAC).
The SAC tournament kicks off on Tuesday, November 14. Mars Hill will prepare for their upcoming opponent once the regular season concludes Saturday evening.
