ATLANTA, Ga. --- The Tusculum University men's volleyball team shattered the program's single-match hitting percentage (.452) with its sweep at Morehouse on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 25).
The Pioneers (4-11) swept the Maroon Tigers (0-7) by scores of 25-11, 25-14, 25-18. Morehouse has not won a set all season. Additionally, 13 Pioneers saw action in the contest.
Bryce Clemons led the Maroon Tigers with five kills on a .375 hitting percentage. Both Jalen Campbell and Myles Tucker tallied four assists, while Aiden Pullian and Williams Babalola landed the team's service aces. Tucker scooped up a team-best six digs, as both Babalola (all solos) and Pullian (all assists) recorded two total blocks.
Jabes de la Cruz fired 12 kills on a .688 clip to torch the Maroon Tigers. Deklan Wingo added eight kills on a .700 rate, ahead of Noa Svendsen's seven kills. Both figures rank within the top-five across program history. Thiago Da Silva made his collegiate debut to record 27 assists. De la Cruz added five aces and six digs to lead the way for the Pioneers. Shaphar Grant had his biggest impact at the net, credited with four total blocks (one solo, three assists).
Morehouse hit -.020 as a team with 13 kills and 14 errors on 49 total attempts. Tusculum averaged .452 with 44 kills, 11 errors, and 73 total attacks. The Pioneers led the Maroon Tigers in assists (39-12), service aces (8-2), digs (21-17), and total blocks (7-4).
Tusculum's worst set was the first set, finishing with 13 kills on a .429 clip. The Pioneers were helped by seven attack errors by the Maroon Tigers. TU forced a Morehouse timeout after a 5-0 run, highlighted by three blocks in a four-point span. MC got four back before a ridiculous spurt fueled by the serves of de la Cruz, Wingo, and Jake Whyte. Wingo went 4-for-5 on his swings in the frame.
De la Cruz tacked on six kills on eight tries in set two, while all five of Matt Moore's digs were recorded in the span. Both Svendsen and Wingo added four kills as Tusculum fired .462 as a team. The Pioneers also landed five aces in the set. TU went on several mini-runs, finishing the set on a 4-0 run. Off of a Da Silva assist, Whyte recorded a kill. De la Cruz notched back-to-back aces, closing out the frame with a Maroon Tiger error.
Taylor West entered as a hitter in the third set, going 4-for-5 in his stint, joined by five strikes by de la Cruz. Jaden Bramhall contributed two kills and two solo blocks in his lone set of play. Morehouse kept it close within the first few scores of the frame until a Maroon Tiger service error sparked a 10-of-14 stretch for TU. The home team attempted to make a run at the end, but ill-timed unforced miscues clinched the match for the Pioneers.
Tusculum makes a short trip to Lees-McRae to end the month (Feb. 28). The Pioneers and Bobcats have agreed to a 7 p.m. start in Banner Elk.
