MARS HILL, N.C. --- The Tusculum University women's volleyball team fell to the Lions of Mars Hill on Friday night in a four-set battle.
The Lions (11-10, 8-6 SAC) won by scores of 20-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-22 to defeat the Pioneers (10-10, 7-7 SAC).
Mars Hill's Sarah Goddard excelled, recording 16 kills and 13 digs on the night. Kamya Latson also contributed 11 kills on a .588 hitting percentage. Jordan Schmucker and Sara Pasour combined for 41 of the team's 46 assists. At the service line, three Lions recorded an ace. Ully Martins led the way with 20 digs, while at the net, Sally Anne Johnson is credited with four total blocks.
For the Pioneers, Taylor Blythe, Gabby Gray, and Carli Pigza each finished with 11 kills. Both Blythe and Pigza hit over .420 for the match. Elise Carmichael dished out 31 assists to lead the setting trio. At the line, Carmichael collected a match-high four aces, while Catherine Clingan added three. From the back row, Gray led the team with 15 digs, followed closely by Carly Sosnowski with her 14. Blythe finished with three block assists and Aubrey Hawkins added two.
Mars Hill finished the match with a .192 hitting percentage with 48 kills, 20 errors, and 146 total attempts. TU tallied 51 kills, 28 errors, and 164 attacks for a .129 hitting percentage. The Lions tallied nine team blocks and collected 74 digs, while the visiting Pioneers finished with 68 digs and four total blocks.
Tusculum wraps up its SAC road trip tomorrow at Lenoir-Rhyne, with first serve scheduled for 2 pm.