SAVANNAH, Ga. --- Fourth-seeded Tusculum knocked off top-seeded Armstrong 3-1 Friday night as the Pioneers punched their ticket for tomorrow's NCAA Division II Southeast Region championship match. This week's eight-team, single-elimination tournament is being held at the Aquatics & Recreation Center on the Armstrong campus.
Tusculum (24-7) won the match by scores of 24-26, 25-23, 29-27,
25-20 as the Pioneers advance to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first
time in program history.
The Pioneers (24-7) will now play for a first-ever berth into the
NCAA Elite Eight when they meet fellow South Atlantic Conference
foe Wingate at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Armstrong (33-6) sees its season
come to a close in the semifinals for the third time in the last
four seasons.
Tusculum sophomore Megan Hasse led the way for the Pioneers with
her 16 kills, nine digs and three service aces. All-Region junior
Kassie Voelker added seven kills, three digs and a match-high nine
blocks (1 solo, 8 assists), while senior Alyssa Raterman and Danae
Stauffer contributed 12 and 11 digs, respectively.
Junior setter Ashley Sarmiento finished with 27 assists, 15
digs, four kills, three blocks and hit .500 on the night. Freshman
Hannah Berling contributed 20 assists, four digs and two aces in a
solid rookie performance. Two-time All-American libero Caitlyn
Dean led all players with 24 of Tusculum's 67 digs.
Tusculum led throughout a majority of the opening set, including
14-10 following a Raterman kill. But Armstrong closed the cap and
took its first lead of the night at 23-22 thanks to an Amanda Jones
kill. The two teams would trade side-outs, until Jones posted a
kill and TC was whistled for a ball handling error on set point as
the Pirates won 26-24.
The second set mirrored the previous frame as TC led for most of the early part of the set, only to see Armstrong score three straight points to take a 15-13 lead following back-to-back TC ball handling errors. The lead would bounce back and fourth before AASU move in front 23-21 following a TC attack error. But the key swing game on four straight errors by the Pirates as the Pioneers won 25-23 to even the match at a set apiece.
Tusculum overcame an 18-13 deficit in the third set, using an 8-3 run to tie the score at 21-21 following a Voelker kill. Armstrong would take the lead 23-22 following Caina Marinho's kill. But Tusculum bounced back with kills from Raterman and Underwood to get to set point (24-23). Armstrong fought off fourth set points down the stretch, but Stauffer's kill gave the Pioneers a 29-27 marathon win to take a 2-1 lead in the contest.
Tusculum then used a big service run by Berling midway through the fourth set, turning a one-point lead into a 15-9 advantage. Tusculum would increase its advantage to 20-12 and later again to 23-15 on a Raterman kill. The Pirates fought off match point three times, but Hasse halted the threat with her 16th kill of the night and send the Pioneers into the region final.
Armstrong placed four players in double digit kills, led by Jessica Santaniello's 13 kills. Brittany Wolf hit .478 with 12 kills, while Jones and Marinho added 10 kills apiece. Ashley Seal finished her season with nine kills, 33 assists and 14 digs in the contest.
Armstrong edged TC in the hitting department (.210-to-.208), but the Pioneers hit .275 in their final two sets combined, including a sizzling .368 in the third frame.
Saturday's region final will be a rematch of this year's South Atlantic Conference Tournament final, where Wingate edged Tusculum in a thrilling five-set battle.
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