CHARLOTTE, N.C. --- The Tusculum University men's volleyball team won the fifth-place match at the Independent Volleyball Association (IVA) Championship after a thrilling come-from-behind, five-set victory over Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday (Apr. 23) morning. Jake Whyte was named to the All-Tournament Team for his efforts over the weekend.
Finishing the 2022 campaign with an 8-20 record, the Pioneers secured its winningest season in program history.
The Pioneers (8-20) upset the Knights (7-16) 25-27, 25-19, 19-25, 25-23, 15-9.
Jack Lydon provided nearly half of Fairleigh Dickinson's offense with his 24 kills. No other Knight reached double-figures in the category. Jose Angarita tallied 35 assists, alongside his trio of service aces. Both Grady Hoffman and Lorenzo Bonomo contributed 15 digs, ahead of three teammates in double-digits: Lydon (12), Rui Fernandes (11), and Angarita (10). Santiago La Jara was credited with four total blocks (three solo, one assist).
Jake Whyte landed 16 kills on a .317 hitting percentage to head up the Tusculum attack. Colby Landry added 10 kills, followed by Dane Loup (8), Hunter Walck (6), Shaun Kampshoff (5), and Shaphar Grant (5). Kampshoff dished out 33 assists, while Loup served up three aces. Whyte, Kampshoff, and Landry collected the remaining three. A trio of Pioneers reached double-figures in digs: Landry (12), Kampshoff (11), and Arthur Della Nina (11). Grant registered seven total blocks to lead the match (one solo, six assists). Both Kampshoff and Walck added one solo and four assists each. Landry finished with four block assists and Whyte rounded out the defensive column with one solo and two assists.
Tusculum finished the match with a .192 hitting percentage with 50 kills and 22 attack errors in 146 total attempts. Fairleigh Dickinson totaled 54 kills, 37 errors, and 156 swings for a .109 hitting percentage. The Knights led the match in assists (48-37) and digs (69-51), while the Pioneers were credited with more total blocks (14-7). The teams tied with six aces apiece.
The Pioneers outhit FDU in set one, but the Knights rallied for the overtime win. Tusculum faced an early 7-2 deficit, finally catching the higher seed at 20-20 on a Kampshoff/Walck block. Fairleigh Dickinson won consecutive points to lead 23-21, as Tusculum called a timeout. The Pioneers responded with back-to-back scores by Kampshoff. TU fought off two set-points before succumbing to two-straight kills by Lydon. Colby Landry tallied four kills in the frame, while Kampshoff went 3-for-3 with five digs and an ace.
Tusculum held the Knights to a negative hitting percentage, out-blocking them 4-1 in set two. The Pioneers won five of the first six points of the frame, including three attack errors by FDU. Fairleigh Dickinson rattled off four-straight scores; TU responded with a 9-for-10 spurt to lead 14-6, highlighted by two kills and a solo block from Whyte. The Knights could not close the gap, despite a mini-run.
FDU took the 2-1 match lead by the same 25-19 margin, holding the Pioneers to an even hitting percentage. TU collected seven kills, seven attack errors, and seven digs to the Knights' 12 kills. The home team on the scoreboard stretched the advantage to seven at 13-6, which Tusculum was never able to come back from.
Needing a set-win to continue the match, TU edged out a 25-23 frame victory to need the fifth-set tiebreaker. The Pioneers never trailed after the 2-2 plateau, but the Knights did force ties at 13 and 14. Whyte tacked on five kills, aided by three block assists by Grant.
Tusculum went 10-for-13 on swings in the fifth set for a .769 hitting clip. Whyte added five kills and an ace, while Walck is credited with two block assists in the domination. Loup got the opening kill and TU was off to the races. The Pioneers won 7-of-8 points in the middle of the frame to take a 9-4 advantage. Whyte had his hands in the closing three points: consecutive kills and a block assist alongside Grant.
IVA All-Tournament Team
Jack Lydon (Fairleigh Dickinson)
Jake Whyte (Tusculum)
Veit Bils (Limestone)
JP Payne (Queens)
Daniel Leitao (Queens)
Cameron Milligan (Daemen)
Zach Schneider (Daemen)
Johansen Negron (Lincoln Memorial)
Attia Soliman (Lincoln Memorial)
Cole Campisano (Lincoln Memorial)
MVP: Kohl Kutsch (Lincoln Memorial)
