GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum men's volleyball team saw familiar faces, but were swept by the visiting Belmont Abbey Crusaders on Saturday night inside Pioneer Arena.
The Crusaders (3-0) won by scores of 25-13, 26-24, 25-19 to defeat the Pioneers (0-3).
Belmont Abbey got 10 kills from both Andrew Kohut and TU transfer Matteo Miselli to head up the attack. Riley Mulkey efficiently knocked down five attacks in six attempts for a .833 hitting percentage. Brennan Davis dished out 29 of the team's 31 assists, while Kohut landed three service aces. Defensively, libero Matthew Maxwell scooped up a team-high six digs. At the net, Kohut is credited with a solo block and the duo of Miselli and William Morris combined for the remaining denial.
Colby Landry's career-high nine kills paced the Pioneers, followed closely by Dane Loup tying his collegiate-best seven. The latter fired on an impressive .462 clip, while Landry also reached .400. Lucas Blanco tied his season-high 28 assists and led Tusculum with a pair of aces. Freshman standout Taylor Phillips finished with a match-high seven digs, over half of the Pioneers' 13. In his season debut, Shaphar Grant was solid defensively with three total blocks (two solo, one assist).
Belmont Abbey finished the match with a .377 hitting percentage with 34 kills and 11 attack errors in 61 total attempts. Tusculum totaled 30 kills, a season-low 14 errors, and 67 swings for a season-high .239 hitting percentage. The Crusaders led in assists (31-30), aces (6-3), and digs (16-13), while the Pioneers are credited with more total blocks (4-2).
Tusculum will take the court again on Tuesday (Feb. 2) night in its Independent Volleyball Association (IVA) opener, hosting nearby Lincoln Memorial. First serve between the Pioneers and Railsplitters is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
