GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's volleyball team is scheduled to play an Independent Volleyball Association (IVA) match in both South and North Carolina over the weekend, respectively. Friday (Feb. 26) night, the Pioneers will battle the Limestone Saints, while Saturday's (Feb. 27) tilt is against the Queens University of Charlotte Royals.
RECAPPING THE WEEK
Tusculum (0-4, 0-1 IVA) last played three weeks ago, hosting Lincoln Memorial in its IVA opener. The Pioneers dropped a five set heart-breaker to the Railsplitters (15-25, 21-25, 25-21, 25-21, 16-18).
Shaun Kampshoff has led the TU offense with his 42 kills, just ahead of 32 via Colby Landry. Lucas Blanco has facilitated the attackers with 124 assists, averaging 8.27 helps per set. Kampshoff and Blanco have each landed six service aces as well. Freshman standout Taylor Phillips has excelled as the team's libero, racking up 39 digs across all 15 sets for a 2.60 per set rate. Caleb Slater has made his biggest impact at the net. He is credited with 14 total blocks (two solo, 12 assists), seven of which came in the Pioneers' last match.
In the national rankings, Tusculum is 14th in the NCAA in aces per set (1.33).
Individually, Kampshoff is ranked in the top-15 in three categories: attacks per set (5th; 9.55), aces per set (9th; .545), and points per set (15th; 4.55). Meanwhile, Phillips is sixth in the country with 2.60 digs per set and Slater's 1.273 blocks per set is also sixth.
LOOKING AHEAD
Limestone (4-4, 0-1 IVA) is coming off of two sweeps of Erskine that were a week apart, most recently on Feb. 20. Spencer Saint-Eloi has played every set for the Saint, racking up 85 kills on a .235 clip. He is also far and away the ace leader with 15 of Limestone's 38 on the season. Geraldo Rivera is averaging 3.43 kills per set for a sum of 72. Christos Gkitersos has supported the offense with his 293 assists, a 9.45 per set rate. Defensively, Michal Podgorzak leads the country with 3.68 digs per set, totaling 114 thus far. Jon Igo is credited with a team-high 35 blocks (eight solo, 27 assists).
Queens (5-8, 2-0 IVA) also played last on Feb. 20, sweeping Lees-McRae in convincing fashion. The Royals are scheduled to host Lincoln Memorial the night before the Pioneers invade Curry Arena. Tristan Santoyo's 131 kills is a team-best, followed by 99 from JP Payne. Payne is hitting a fiery .410 on the season. The setting position for Queens is two-fold. Brandon Grabow is the primary setter with 317 assists, but Daniel Leitao has net a respectable 165. Santoyo and Jack Brinkman control the ace category with 17 and 16, respectively. Six Royals are credited with more than 50 digs, headed up by Santoyo's 66. Payne dominates the net defense for Queens, notching 41 total blocks (12 solo, 29 assists).
Links to live stats and video for Tusculum University athletic events can be found through tusculumpioneers.com.
ATTENDANCE POLICIES
Neither Limestone nor Queens is allowing fans of visiting teams to attend on-campus athletic events.
