FORT WAYNE, Ind. --- Tusculum University beach volleyball swept both matches on Saturday to finish 2-2 at the 2nd Annual Principia Bash. The Pioneers downed both Bryant & Stratton and the host Principia in convincing fashion.
Tusculum will have more than a week layoff before a Florida swing over spring break. The Pioneers will begin at Tampa on March 10 in a tri-match featuring UNC Wilmington.
The Black and Orange opened the second day of competition by overpowering Bryant & Stratton. Melissa Mazur and Emma Johnson won the first flight 21-18, 21-9 for their first win of the season. Mabry Ward and Arizona Webb, the No. 2 pairing, earned their first win as Pioneers via 21-19, 21-15 victory. Danika Chaney and Britney Shawel, in the fourth flight, had an excellent showing with a 21-11, 21-9 win. By far, Maddie Bass and Emily Lawless allowed their opponents just nine points between the two sets, collecting a 21-2, 21-7 triumph. The middle pairing of Stephanie Cho and Haley Davis went to three sets, but they found victory to complete the team sweep (18-21, 21-12, 15-12).
The match against Principia was nearly the same in terms of overwhelming scores in the Pioneers' favor. The Webb/Ward duo took the second flight 21-15, 21-14, while Cho/Davis won the third paring 21-11, 21-17. Nos. 4 and 5 had their way against the Panthers. Chaney/Shawel won by identical scores of 21-12, 21-12 and Bass/Lawless repeated the effort with marks of 21-10, 21-10. Mazur and Johnson went the distance with Principia's top pair, prevailing by counts of 16-21, 21-14, 15-7.