GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University women's volleyball team bounced back in a big way to earn the program's first South Atlantic Conference championship, collecting hosting duties along the way. The tournament's top-seeded Pioneers will battle the No. 8 seed Catawba Indians on Tuesday (Nov. 16) night, with a chance to advance to the semifinals at stake.
RECAPPING THE WEEK
Tusculum (19-4, 15-3 SAC) won a share of the program's first SAC title after going 2-0 during the week, downing in-state rivals Carson-Newman and Lincoln Memorial.
Carli Pigza had an outstanding week, leading the Pioneers with 33 kills, including a career-high 19 kills against the Eagles. She fired on a .324 hitting clip as well. Emiah Burrowes (26), Raeley Matthews (15), Raven Chance (14), and Emma Johnson (14) all got into double-figures in kills. Chance was also very efficient, hitting on a .320 rate. Elise Carmichael headed up the setting duties with 50 assists, followed by fellow setter Catherine Clingan with 29. Carmichael landed a team-best five service aces, extending her streak to 22-straight matches recording at least one ace. Lydia Collins added a trio of aces to the cause, ahead of two by Matthews and one from both Burrowes and Clingan.
Defensively, Carly Sosnowski scooped up 34 digs, followed by Matthews (28), Burrowes (23), and Carmichael (22). Chance and Johnson also tallied the most total blocks with seven and six, respectively.
Of note, Sosnowski needs only three digs to reach 1,000 in her short Tusculum career. Burrowes now has nine double-doubles on the season.
Carmichael leads Division II in aces per set (0.71) and is fifth in total aces (59). Sosnowski is averaging 5.00 digs per set, good for 50th nationally. As a team, the Pioneers sit within the top-50 in aces per set (25th; 2.05), opponent hitting percentage (32nd; 0.137), and win-loss percentage (33rd; 0.826).
Across the SAC, TU leads the league in aces per set. The Pioneers are second in win-loss percentage and opponent hitting percentage, while ranked third in assists per set (11.91), hitting percentage (0.211), kills per set (12.56), and service aces (178).
LOOKING AHEAD
Catawba (11-13, 8-10 SAC) is the No. 8 seed in the conference tournament, sliding into the final spot by virtue of a tiebreaker over Limestone. Allison Bryant has been the driving force of the offense, collecting 234 kills on a 3.34 per set rate. Kylie Morgan (191), Ashley Johnson (169), Raytchelle Miranda (160), and Arianna Colon (105) have all reached triple-digits in the kill category. Payton Medich is averaging just over six assists per set, totaling 433, followed by Dara Kane with 377 assists. Bryant also leads the Catawba Indians in aces with 23, just ahead of Kane's 20 and Morgan's 19. Defensively, Gabriella Kuzma leads the team with 219 digs, while Morgan has an even 200. Johnson and Jordan Gore are the top blockers for Catawba with 79 and 68, respectively.
Links to live stats and video for Tusculum University athletic events can be found through tusculumpioneers.com.
ATTENDANCE POLICIES
Per Tusculum policy, face coverings are required for all individuals in order to gain entrance into the match, regardless of vaccination status.
TICKETS
Tickets for the quarterfinal are $5 for adults and $3 for seniors (60+), active/retired military, and youth (12-and-under). College students are $2 with a valid ID, while children 5-and-under are free.
