ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Tusculum College setter Ashley Sarmiento has been named the South Atlantic Conference Volleyball Specialist of the Week announced league officials Monday.

Sarmiento, a junior from Dayton, Ohio, averaged 13.22 assists per set to lead the Pioneers to three conference wins last week. Tusculum (20-6, 14-4 SAC) did not drop a set in 3-0 sweeps over Mars Hill, Brevard and regionally-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne.

The 2010 SAC Freshman of the Year posted 41 assists, six digs and three blocks in a 3-0 win over Mars Hill. She followed with back-to-back 39-assist performances against Brevard and Lenoir-Rhyne.

On the season, Sarmiento leads the conference, averaging 9.98 assists per set, while also tallying 3.29 digs and 0.37 blocks per frame.

Sarmiento was named to the Capital One Academic All-District 3 Volleyball First Team last week and will be looking to return to the Academic All-America® Team as she was selected to national second team in 2011.

Tusculum finished runner-up in the league standings and will be the No. 2 seed at this week's Food Lion SAC Tournament in Brevard, N.C. TC will open against seventh-seeded Mars Hill in a 5 p.m. quarterfinal match on Friday.

The Pioneers have clinched their seventh straight winning season and fifth 20-win campaign in the last seven years.

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