GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum College volleyball team will open play at this weekend's 2014 South Atlantic Conference volleyball tournament on Friday afternoon against Lenoir-Rhyne University. The Pioneers (16-14) are seeded fourth and will face off against fifth-seeded Bears in the quarterfinals at 2:30 p.m.

The tournament is being hosted by Lenoir-Rhyne at Shuford Memorial Arena in Hickory, North Carolina. The first quarterfinal match on Friday features top-seeded and defending champions, Wingate University versus eighth-seeded Newberry College at noon. TC and L-R will be the second quarterfinal followed by second-seeded Carson-Newman University taking on seventh-seeded Mars Hill University at 5 p.m. The nightcap will feature the third seed, Anderson University, facing off against the sixth-seed, Lincoln Memorial University, at 7:30 p.m.

The semifinals will take place on Saturday starting at 5 p.m., with the winner of Wingate/Newberry facing the winner of Tusculum/Lenoir-Rhyne. The second semifinal will feature the winner between Carson-Newman and Mars hill taking on the winner of Anderson/LMU at 7:30 p.m. The winners of those matchups will face off for the SAC championship, and the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, on Sunday at 3 p.m.

TC, led by seventh-year head coach Michael Robinson, will be vying for its sixth-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament after already clinching the program's ninth-straight winning season. Entering their 16th SAC Tournament, the Pioneers are 9-15 all-time in the league postseason, but are 6-4 over the last four seasons.

After a tough start to the season that featured matches against four nationally ranked opponents, Tusculum reeled off nine straight victories and started the conference slate with a 9-1 record. The Pioneers wrapped-up the regular season with a 7-1 mark in their final eight games that contributed to their 15-7 SAC record.

TC and L-R met twice in the regular season with the Pioneers coming out victorious on both occasions. Tusculum blanked Lenoir-Rhyne 3-0 in Greeneville on Oct. 4 in the middle of its nine-match winning streak. Senior outside hitter Megan Hasse led the Pioneers in that match with a double-double of 14 kills and 12 digs.

In the team's second meeting on Nov. 1 in Hickory, TC rallied from a 2-1 deficit to defeat L-R in five sets. Freshman middle blocker Laryssa Welch tallied 16 kills for the Pioneers while sophomore libero Moriah Jones had 31 digs.

Tusculum had four players pick up all conference honors announced by the league yesterday. Jones was named to the All-SAC first team, while Hasse was a second-team honoree. Sophomore right side Rachel Garnett and Welch were selected as honorable mentions, while Welch was also named to the All-Freshman team.

Jones has led the Pioneer defensive efforts this season while ranking second in the SAC in digs per set (5.40) and third in total digs (572). She has registered double-figure digs in all but two matches this season and has surpassed the 30-dig plateau on five occasions.

Hasse leads the Pioneers in every offensive category this season and she ranks second in the SAC in total kills (365) and third in kills per set (3.35). She has recorded double-figure kills in 20 of TC's 30 matches, and surpassed 20 kills on three occasions. Hasse also has a team-best 38 service aces.

Garnett has built onto her impressive rookie campaign in 2013 by ranking second on the team this season in total kills (228) and third in kills per set (2.23). She has tallied double-figure kills in eight matches also ranks fourth on the team with 43 total blocks.

Welch has made an immediate impact for the Pioneers in her rookie campaign. She ranks fifth in the SAC in hitting percentage at .303, and is second on the team in kills per set (2.23) and fourth in total kills (185). Welch has recorded double-figure kills on seven occasions, and is also ranked third on the team in total blocks (46).

The Pioneers have used two players to handle setting duties throughout most of the season. Junior setter Hannah Berling has dished out 586 assists (6.66 per set), while ranking third on the team with 197 digs (2.25 per set). Freshman setter Shannon Murphy has tallied 473 assists (6.39 per set), while digging-up 178 balls (2.41 per set).

Another freshman to make an impact for the Pioneers this season has been outside hitter Sabrina Schleuger. Schleuger has racked-up 197 kills (1.91 per set), which is third on the team, while adding 259 digs and 2.51 per set, which is best on the team excluding defensive specialists. She also has 37 service aces which is second on the team.

Sophomore middle blocker Jaida Allen has been the force at the net for the Pioneers this season, compiling a team-high 78 blocks at 0.88 per set. She also has 104 kills at 1.17 per set.

The NCAA II Southeast Regional is set for Nov. 20-22 and will be played at the campus of the top seed. The national quarterfinal, semifinal and final will take place on Dec. 4-6 in Louisville, Kentucky.

No. 1 Wingate vs. No. 8 Newberry, noon

No. 2 Carson-Newman vs. No. 7 Mars Hill, 5:00 p.m.

No. 3 Anderson vs. No. 6 Lincoln Memorial , 7:30 p.m.

Wingate/Newberry winner vs. TC/L-R winner, 5:00 p.m.

C-N/Mars Hill winner vs. Anderson/LMU winner, 7:30 p.m.

Semifinal winners, 3 p.m.