--- Fifth-seeded Anderson University overcame an opening-set loss to rally to a 3-1 victory over No. 4-seed Tusculum College in the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional quarterfinals at Cuddy Arena.

The Trojans won the match by scores of 18-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-17 to improve to 19-14 overall and advances to Friday's semifinals for the first time in program history. Tusculum ends its season at 21-11.

AU's Hailey Pittman hit .500 for the match, piling up 14 kills and two blocks to lead the Anderson attack. Shannon Gillespie added 14 kills and eight digs, while Priscilla Irizarry had 10 kills and 13 digs. Meghan Cautero handed out 45 assists, while Alix Hooker collected 22 digs.

Senior Kassie Voelker had 11 kills to lead the Pioneers, hitting .450 in her collegiate finale. South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year Rachel Garnett added nine kills and four digs, while junior Victoria Ashley had eight kills. Junior All-SAC outside hitter Megan Hasse contributed seven kills and seven digs, while senior setter Ashley Sarmiento had 18 assists and 12 digs, and sophomore Hannah Berling also had a double-double with 18 assists and 10 digs.

Tusculum senior libero Caitlyn Dean collected 20 digs to close out one of the greatest collegiate playing careers of all-time. The NCAA II all-time digs leader ends her TC career with an amazing 3,184 digs, which are also the eighth most for all NCAA divisions.

Kills from Garnett and Voelker gave Tusculum a 13-11 lead in the opening set. Pittman answered with a kill, but an Anderson error and an Ashley block pushed the TC lead to three at 16-13. A kill from Irizarry trimmed the lead to one, but a 4-0 Pioneer run made it 20-16. TC freshman Jaida Allen started the run with a kill, while Dean capped the spurt with an ace. A kill from Danae Stauffer made it 24-18, while a block from Allen and Stauffer claimed set-point.

A Gillespie kill capped a 3-0 run that gave the Trojans a 10-7 lead in the second set. Hasse cut the lead to one with a kill, but a Pittman kill and a TC error made it 15-12. A kill from Ashley trimmed the lead to two at 17-15, but a TC error, followed by a Gillespie ace gave AU a 20-16 lead. Voelker registered back-to-back kills to trim the deficit to 20-18, but an Irizarry kill, followed by three straight TC errors made it 24-18. Pittman capped the second set with a kill and a 25-18 win.

Kills from Pittman and Gillespie put the Trojans on top 10-4 in the third set. An Ashley kill trimmed the lead to five, but a 6-0 run gave Anderson an 18-8 advantage. Irizarry started the flurry with a kill and an ace, while Pittman added a kill in the flurry. A Gillespie kill and a TC error gave the Trojans a 24-16 lead. Pittman put home a kill to give Anderson a 2-1 lead in the match.

A Cautero ace and Gillespie kill gave Anderson an 11-9 lead in the fourth set. An Ashley kill cut the lead to one at 13-12, but a kill and an ace from Irizarry made it 15-12. Another Pittman kill pushed the lead to four, but Voelker responded with a kill to make it 17-14. Gillespie notched back-to-back kills to make it 20-15. A kill from Tinsley Hallman, along with two Tusculum errors made it 23-16. Another TC error made it 24-17, while a block from Irizarry and Pittman finished off match-point.

Anderson hit .201 on the day, with 50 kills and 21 errors in 144 attacks. Tusculum had 40 kills and 27 errors in 141 attacks, hitting .092. Irizarry had a match-high three aces to lead the Trojans, while Gillespie, Hallman and Cautero added two each.

The senior trio of Dean, Voelker and Sarmiento close out one of the most successful four-year runs in Tusculum history. Their magical run included four trips to the NCAA II Tournament, including a 2012 Sweet 16 appearance. They posted a combined 88-39 record, while finishing second in the league standings in three of the last four years.

Dean leaves Tusculum owning seven Tusculum school records, four SAC records and holds the NCAA II career digs mark. Her 465 career sets played are the sixth most in TC history, while her 124 matches played are eighth in the school record book. The two-time Capital One Academic All-District selection also finishes with 114 service aces (7th in TC history), 18 kills, 284 assists and 132.5 career points. The two-time Daktronics All-America first team honoree, has garnered All-Region and All-SAC accolades all four seasons.

Voelker, a two-time All-Conference and 2012 All-Region honoree, puts a close on one of the top hitting and blocking careers in program history. The Morristown, Tenn. product finishes her TC career with a .258 hitting percentage, which is the sixth-best in TC history. Her 236 blocks (38 solos, 198 assists) are seventh in school history. She also finishes with 2,025 career attacks (10th in TC history), 790 kills, 242 digs, 58 service aces and 985 career points.

Sarmiento, a two-time All-SAC and All-Region choice, ends her career with 3,849 assists, the second most of all Tusculum setters. The Dayton, Ohio native's 8.67 career assists average is the third-best in the TC record book. She also finishes with 1,154 digs (8th in TC history), making her the only player in school history with 3,000 assists and 1,000 digs in a career. The two-time Capital One Academic All-American® finishes with 444 career sets (8th in TC history), 124 matches played (T8th in TC history), 297 kills, 78 service aces, 94 blocks and 428.5 career points.

Tusculum ends 2013 with the program's 22nd season with at least 20 victories and the Pioneers' eighth consecutive winning campaign.