NEWBERRY, S.C. - After a four match road tournament to open up the 2010 season, the Newberry College volleyball team was eager to return to Newberry and show South Atlantic Conference newcomer Anderson what SAC volleyball was all about.

As it turned out, Anderson already had a pretty good idea what it was doing.

Employing an 11-5 blocking advantage and an 11-0 run through the third set, the Trojans did what it took to knock off the Wolves in Eleazer Arena by a score of 3-1.

“We really lost our composure for a big stretch in the third set,” said third-year head coach David Nicholson. “It seemed like we couldn't get anything going for ourselves, and they really took advantage.”

The Wolves were greeted by a raucous crowd of over 200 eager to see the squad in action for the first time. The first set began with an emphatic kill by the Trojans, and it seemed to set the tone for the remainder of the set. Newberry never led, and fell in a 0-1 hole by a score of 25-21.

After a fiery speech by Nicholson, new life was instilled in the Wolves during the second set. The scarlet and gray jumped out to a quick 5-2 lead courtesy of kills by Samantha Parrish (Angola, Ind.), Anne Staudinger (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and Sarah Scott (Redding, Calif.). The set stayed close down the stretch, featuring nine ties and a pair of lead changes.

With the score sitting at 21 each, a Trojan attack error opened the door for Parrish to put the set away. The 5-11 freshman made a pair of kills, and with the help of another Trojan miscue, Newberry evened things up at 1-1.

The momentum didn't stay in the Wolves' end for long though. Anderson came out swinging, and Newberry was reeling from a quick 6-0 run. The scarlet and gray got to within four points, but that's all that Anderson would bend. Another run, this time of 11-0, pushed the black and gold lead to 18, essentially sealing set three for the Trojans.

With their backs against the wall, the Wolves came out in set four looking to send it to a fifth and deciding game. A pair of service aces by Nadia Andrade (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) in the early goings helped the Wolves to a 4-1 edge, however Newberry fell victim to another run by the Trojans. Leading 8-4 the scarlet and gray fell out of sync with one another, spotting Anderson eight points to give the visitors a 12-4 advantage.

The hosts managed to battle back to knot the score at 17-all. In the closing minutes, Newberry regained the lead by way of some Anderson errors - the score 21-19. The two teams traded points, and found themselves deadlocked once again at 22. The Wolves committed three straight errors to end the match, and lost their SAC opener for the first time since 2007.

Parrish played a sensational match, registering 18 kills, 12 digs, a block solo and a block assist.

Senior Brianna Blakely (Houston, Texas) led the Wolves with 34 assists.

The Wolves head to Mount Olive to participate in their second tournament of 2010 this Friday and Saturday (Sept. 10-11). Their first foe is Fairmont State. Match time between the Wolves and the Fighting Falcons is set for 2 p.m.