GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Peyton Colclough recorded 49 assists and 10 digs to lead the Tusculum College volleyball team to a 3-1 win over visiting Mars Hill College at Pioneer Arena in a South Atlantic Conference match.
The Pioneers (14-9, 5-4 SAC) won the match by scores of 24-26, 25-14, 25-18, 25-19 for their third straight victory and fifth win in their last six matches.? The TC triumph avenges last month's loss at Mars Hill (9-9, 2-7 SAC).
In all, three Tusculum players accounted for double-doubles on the evening.? Rookie Bailee Price posted 13 kills, 15 digs and a .357 hitting percentage, while senior Gina Coffaro finished with a dozen kills and 20 digs in the win.? Sophomore Heather LeMay had a solid performance on defense with 20 digs, while Colclough capped her night with six kills, two service aces and a .455 hitting percentage (6-1-11).
Mars Hill's Evie Tafunai recorded 13 kills and a .278 hitting percentage (13-3-36), while Becca Smith posted 17 assists and 15 digs in the loss.? Sarah Paquette added 19 assists and five digs, while Laura Ann Huskey tallied 14 digs and a match-high six service aces.
The Lions came out of the gate on fire in the opening set, scoring the first five points on Huskey's serve, including three straight aces to start the match.? TC responded with a 9-2 run to take the lead, including back-to-back kills by freshman Sam Underwood and four straight points on Coffaro's serve as Tusculum led 9-7.
TC would maintain its lead through most of the set and held its biggest advantage at 16-12 following a Coffaro kill.? But MHC responded with a 7-3 spurt including three points by Huskey, including her fourth ace of the frame as the Lions squared the set 19-19.
With Tusculum serving on set point at 24-23, the Lions scored three straight points with kills by Traci Teague, Doneisha Gartica and Huskey as MHC won 26-24.
In the second set, Tusculum committed only one attack error and posted a .457 hitting percentage en route to a 25-14 win.? With the score tied 3-3, TC capitalized on a 12-3 run, including four points by Price and a Carly Swisher ace.
The Pioneers never trailed in the third set as TC went on a 7-1 run, including four points and three kills by Coffaro as Tusculum led 8-2.? Tusculum maintained its distance for the remainder of the frame as the Pioneers won 25-18.
Mars Hill jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the fourth set thanks to back-to-back blocks by Danielle Mason and Gartica.? TC answered with an 8-2 run that included four points on Underwood's serve and a pair of kills by Swisher as the Pioneers move ahead 8-6.
The score would be tied seven times with three lead changes in the fourth.? With MHC leading 13-11, Tusculum went on a 9-2 run, including five points by Swisher as the Pioneers led 20-15, a lead they would not surrender.
Tusculum returns to action this week for a pair of road league matches.? The Pioneers will be at SAC leader Wingate University on Friday night for a 7 p.m. match.? TC will wrap-up North Carolina road-swing with Saturday's 2 p.m. match at Catawba College.
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