Posted: Oct 03, 2015
BREVARD, N.C. --- Brevard College won three-straight sets
after trailing 2-0 to comeback and defeat Tusculum College 3-2
(23-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-18, 15-13) in South Atlantic Conference
volleyball action on Saturday afternoon. The NCAA Division II dig
leader Melissa Mazur registered a career-high 36 for the Pioneers
(6-6, 4-5 SAC).
Laryssa Welch and Danae Stauffer paced the Tusculum offense
with 11 kills each, while Sabrina Schleuger tallied 10 with a
season-high 21 digs. Hannah Berling and Tori Dierickx split setting
duties and each registered a double-double. Berling tallied 23
assists and 13 digs while Dierickx, who made her Pioneer debut,
handed out 22 assists with 10 digs. Sarah Bouley also added 15
digs.
With a kill by Schleuger, the Pioneers jumped out to an early
4-1 lead in the decisive fifth set. TC held the lead for the next
few rallies, but Brevard (5-8, 4-5) tied the game at 7-7 on a
Pioneer attack error. With the set tied at 9-9, a Hannah Elmore
Kill and a Fatima Gharachorloo service ace gave the Tornados an
11-9 lead and led to a Pioneer timeout.
After the break, Rachel Garnett answered with a kill but
Brevard held the lead until a Welch kill knotted the score at
12-12. Dierickx stepped to the service line but committed an error,
and two plays later an attack error by Kailey Weiss gave Brevard
match point with the score at 14-13. In the ensuing rally, Weiss
fired a shot back towards the Tornados but it was sent back by
Savannah Cox and Gharchorloo as Brevard earned the improbable
five-set victory.
Gharachorloo led all players with 18 kills while Kindle
Kirkham had 13 and Rachel Ruble tallied 12. Erin Barr dished out a
match-high 49 assists and registered a double-double with 20 digs.
A total of five Tornados finished with double-figure digs led by 33
for Aleksandra Vrvilo.
TC led the first set wire-to-wire and its largest lead of the
frame came off a Tornado attack error that made the score 12-7. The
Pioneers held a 19-15 advantage later in the set, but a 3-0 spurt
cut the lead to just one at 19-18. TC's lead was still just one
with the score at 23-22 before a massive kill by Schleuger earned
Tusculum set point at 24-22. BC fought it off once with a kill from
Kirkham, however Schleuger ended the game with her fifth kill of
the set as TC took a 1-0 lead in the match.
The second set featured nine ties and four lead changes.
Neither side led by more than two before the Pioneers reeled off
three-straight points to take a 16-13 lead and force a BC timeout.
The Tornados answered by scoring five of the next six points to
take an 18-17 lead. A Laryssa Welch kill followed a Tusculum
timeout that tied the set at 18-18.
After BC jumped out to a 20-18 lead, Tusculum responded with a
5-0 run to take a 23-20 advantage. The Pioneers earned set point
off a Schleuger kill with the score 24-21 and Garnett recorded a
kill in the next rally to give the Pioneers the second-set victory
a 2-0 advantage.
Late in the third set Tusculum was looking for a 3-0 sweep
after an attack error by Elmore gave the Pioneers match point with
the score at 24-23. Kirkham responded with a kill to knot the game
at 24-24 and then recorded another score to give Brevard set point
at 25-24.
Vrvilo then stepped to the line and ended the frame with a
service ace as the Tornados forced a fourth set. Brevard led the
entire fourth game and the match headed the decisive fifth set with
its seven-point victory.
Tusculum will be back in action on Tuesday night when it plays
host to arch-rival Carson-Newman. First serve at Pioneer Arena is
scheduled for 7 p.m.