GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University beach volleyball team has 10 Division I foes on the 2023 docket, highlighted by No. 5. LSU. The fifth-year program is set to host just one doubleheader, while attending five weekend tournaments.
Going into his third season as the program's winningest head coach is Jason Morris. With a 29-20 record, he will look to 12 returners, five freshmen, three transfers, and three newcomers from the indoor squad in the pursuit of a national championship.
In 2022, the Pioneers finished with a 22-11 mark, the single-season wins record for the program. TU won its second-straight SAC Beach Challenge and the Bronze Playoff A title at the AVCA Small College Beach Championship.
The season-opening event for Tusculum is scheduled to be the Jacksonville Tournament, running from February 25-26 in Florida. TU will face the likes of College of Charleston, Palm Beach Atlantic, the hosting Dolphins, and Tampa. The Pioneers are a combined 0-8 against the future foes.
The Cougars went 22-13 last year and faced a slight leadership change in the offseason with an internal promotion. Charleston came up just short of the ASUN semifinals in 2022 to close out its campaign.
PBA amassed a 20-14 record in their fourth season of competition. The Sailfish won the Silver Bracket title at last year's AVCA event, including going a perfect 3-0 in pool play.
Tusculum and Jacksonville are set to compete against one another for the first time in series history. The Dolphins are coming off of a 10-27 season, including dropping all five matchups at the ASUN tournament.
Tampa finished third in Division II last season at the AVCA tournament, defeating the Pioneers on route. The Spartans went 17-15 overall, highlighted by an early year win over No. 8 Cal Poly.
The Pioneers next event will be the Tiger Beach Challenge, hosted by Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, from March 4-5. Tusculum is set to compete against North Alabama, the host Tigers, Central Arkansas, and Alabama-Birmingham, all first-time opponents for the Pioneers.
The Lions are under new tutelage going into 2023 after a 16-14 mark last year, including 3-2 in ASUN pool play.
The fifth-ranked Tigers went 32-12 overall, highlighted by a 12-3 home mark. LSU fell two rounds short of the national title game in its attempt to come out of the elimination bracket.
The Bears tallied a 17-16 slate in 2022. In the ASUN Championship tournament, Central Arkansas went 3-2.
The Blazers finished 17-18 overall, facing 15 ranked opponents in the process. In the C-USA Tournament, UAB finished 2-2, dropping both games to top-15 teams.
Coastal Carolina, who is receiving votes in the AVCA preseason poll, will serve as the Pioneers' first true doubleheader of the season on March 18. The Sandy Chants are 4-0 all-time against Tusculum, including a pair of wins last year. CCU went 18-16 in 2022, highlighted by a 7-3 mark in Conway.
On March 20, Tusculum heads to the Bluegrass State for the first of two meetings with Morehead State. The Eagles won both matchups in 2019, TU's first season, to hold the series lead over the Pioneers. MSU recorded a 12-11 record, highlighted by a 5-2 mark at home, which also included the OVC Conference Tournament.
The Pioneers return to Kentucky the following weekend (Mar. 24-25) for the EKU Beach Tournament. TU will face Austin Peay, Ottawa, and the host Colonels.
Tusculum is scheduled to open the event with one match on Friday, against the Governors. The only meeting between the programs happened in TU's inaugural campaign with the Govs sweeping the contest. In 2022, Austin Peay notched a 19-12 record.
The Braves from Kansas hail from the NAIA ranks. Last year, Ottawa finished 6-19, including a 2-2 mark at the season-ending AVCA Tournament.
The Pioneers have a 2-1 lead in the series history over EKU, highlighted by sweeping the 2022 meeting in Greeneville. The Colonels went a paltry 5-21, bookending their wins with 10-straight losses.
Morehead State completes the second half of the home-and-home arrangement on April 4, the Pioneers' lone home showing of the season.
The 2023 edition of the SAC Beach Challenge will return to Salisbury, North Carolina on April 7-8. The two other South Atlantic Conference schools that sponsor beach volleyball (Carson-Newman and Catawba) will compete round-robin style during the two-day event. Tusculum holds a collective 12-2 advantage over the foes, including sweeping the previous two events.
The AVCA Small College Championship in Tavares, Florida is the season-ending destination for the Pioneers once again. The three-day tournament will run from April 14-16 at the Hickory Point Beach Sand Volleyball Complex, the home of the Florida Region of USA Volleyball. Teams from Division II and III will play on the facility's 21 professional-grade lighted beach volleyball courts. In three years at the tournament, Tusculum has gone 8-11, won the bronze bracket twice, and added a semifinal finish in the silver.
