GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Three Catawba Indians reached double figures in kills and Jordan Raye notched a double-double with 11 kills and 26 assists to lead fourth-seeded Catawba College at a 3-0 win over fifth-seeded Tusculum College in the quarterfinal round of the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament at Pioneer Arena.
Catawba (17-10) posted a .252 attack percentage on the afternoon while holding the Pioneers (18-14) to a .092 clip in the match. The Catawba Indians also edged the Pioneers at the net, six blocks to four.
Shay Meeks tallied a match-high 13 kills for the Catawba Indians, as Kaitlyn Whitmer and Raye chipped in 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Raye also led the way for Catawba with 26 assists as Mai Zoua Lo added 23 digs.
Tusculum senior Gina Coffaro turned in a double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs while Peyton Colclough recorded a double-double of her own with a match-high 28 assists and 13 digs. Sam Underwood chipped in with seven kills and 12 digs, followed by Alyssa Raterman's total of six kills.
Catawba opened the first set with a 4-2 run before the Pioneers launched a quick 5-0 spurt to take an early 7-4 advantage. The Catawba Indians closed the gap to 8-7 before going on a 9-7 spurt to reclaim the set advantage at 16-15. Catawba then pulled ahead with a 6-4 spurt to take a 22-19 lead, and after Tusculum rallied to tie the set first at 22-22 and again at 24-24, closed out the 26-24 first-frame win on a service ace by Taylor Doss.
The second set was tightly contested with neither team taking more than a two-point lead, until Catawba opened a 12-9 advantage before the Pioneers quickly closed the gap with a 3-0 spurt to tie the frame at 12-12. Catawba reclaimed the lead with a 5-2 spurt to open a 17-14 before Tusculum closed the gap to 17-16 with a pair of quick points; the Catawba Indians then launched an 8-3 run to notch a 25-19 second-set win.
Catawba lead the third set from start to finish, opening the frame with a 9-4 run before launching a 7-1 surge to take a commanding 16-5 advantage. The Catawba Indians then closed out the three-set sweep with a 9-4 run to claim the third frame by a 25-9 score.
With the win, Catawba advances to the semifinal round to take on top-seeded Wingate University at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. Tusculum ends its season with an 18-14 overall record.
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