ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The Tusculum University women's volleyball raked in the South Atlantic Conference honors, including Emiah Burrows as Player of the Year and Danielle Marante as Coach of the Year. Burrowes joins Carli Pigza, Carly Sosnowski, Elise Carmichael, and Raeley Matthews on the All-Conference teams as well. This ties the most honorees for Tusculum since joining the SAC.
Burrowes is just the second-ever Pioneer to earn SAC Player of the Year honors, joining Vivian Lacy in 2007. She is also the first in program history to earn both the Freshman and Player of the Year laurel during her career. Burrowes is the first TU first-teamer in five years as well. The Wesley Chapel, North Carolina native claimed two SAC Offensive Player of the Week accolades during the season, alongside two Zaxby's Female Athlete of the Week and one Applebee's Female Athlete of the Month from within the Tusculum athletic department. Burrowes, a junior outside hitter, led the Pioneers with 281 kills on a season-best .273 hitting percentage, adding 197 digs, 27 total blocks, 17 service aces, and seven assists. She recorded a career-high 23 kills at Mars Hill and 19 digs against Carson-Newman. Burrowes finished the regular season with nine double-doubles.
Marante collects the program's third SAC Coach of the Year laurel and is only the second honoree. Tusculum's third-year mentor led the Pioneers to their first-ever SAC championship this season, a top-seed in the conference tournament, and two consecutive weeks atop the NCAA region rankings. TU finished the regular season with a conference-leading 2.05 service aces per set average and are in the top-50 nationally in aces per set, win-loss percentage, and opponent hitting percentage. Marante has also coached Division II's best server in aces per set average (Elise Carmichael).
Pigza had a banner year to earn a place on the second team. The Fort Mill, South Carolina native played in all 87 sets for TU, racking up a season-best 240 kills on a .244 clip with 49 digs, 39 total blocks, and three assists. Pigza, a senior right side hitter, was a preseason second team pick, IUP Invitational All-Tournament selection, and a Zaxby's Athlete of the Week choice. She throttled Carson-Newman with a career-best 19 kills during the last weekend of the regular season and also tied her best six digs against the Eagles. This marks Pigza's second postseason honor by the SAC as she was named to the All-Freshman Team in 2018.
Sosnowski joined Pigza on the second team as the libero honoree. The graduate student from Oxford, Florida also played in every set for Tusculum, notching a team-best 435 digs on an even five digs per set rate, 65 assists, 23 aces, and three kills from the back row. Sosnowski recorded her 1,000th career dig in October, needing less than two full seasons to complete the feat. She was named the tournament MVP of the IUP Invitational, earned SAC Defensive Player of the Week honors once, and a Zaxby's weekly laurel. Sosnowski came up big against Queens, scooping up a career-best 31 digs. She recorded double-digit digs in all but one match this season, including 18-straight.
Carmichael was named to the third team list, her second career SAC postseason accolade after her freshman team honor in 2019. The setter from Avon, Indiana leads Division II in aces per set (0.71) and ranks fifth in total service aces with 59. Carmichael started every match in 2021 to total 511 assists (6.16 per set), 148 digs, and three kills. To finish the regular season, she landed at least one ace in 22 consecutive matches, with a career-high of six in four of them. Carmichael also reached double-digit assists in the final 22, including tying her collegiate-best of 37 at Mars Hill. She scooped up a personal-best 14 digs versus Carson-Newman to notch her fourth career double-double. On the season, Carmichael earned an Applebee's Female Athlete of the Month and a Zaxby's Female Athlete of the Week to cap off her junior year. She is only the third player in program history to record 1,000 assists and 100 aces.
Matthews made the third team, alongside Carmichael, in her first season as a Pioneer. The outside hitter from Okeechobee, Florida collected 226 digs, 224 kills, 35 aces, 19 assists, and 19 total blocks during her junior campaign. After her weekend debut in a TU uniform, Matthews earned the weekly SAC offensive player and TU Zaxby's honor. She recorded seven double-doubles in the regular season. She upped her career-high in digs to 20 against the in-state Eagles, kills to 19 on Senior Night, and aces to five versus Coker.
Top-seeded Tusculum will face No. 4 seed Lenoir-Rhyne on Friday (Nov. 19) for a spot in the SAC title match. The semifinal will take place at the Rock Hill Sport and Event Center in South Carolina. First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m.
