EMORY, Va. --- The Tusculum University women's volleyball team got back in the win column on Friday (Sept. 9), taking down South Atlantic Conference newcomer Emory & Henry using the minimum three sets.
The Black and Orange (1-5, 1-2 SAC) won the match by scores of 25-18, 25-14, 25-16 to sweep the Wasps (1-7, 1-2 SAC).
Emory & Henry was led by Camden Jones and Julissa Hopgood with 10 kills apiece. Paige Halcrow (16) and Payton Rolfsen (13) combined for 29 of the Wasps' 33 assists. Libby Bickelhaupt tallied nine digs, just ahead of Hopgood's eight. Both Samantha Worthy and Brianna Hogan are credited with a team-high two block assists.
Emiah Burrowes racked up 13 kills on a .440 hitting percentage to head up the Pioneer attack. Peyton Gash reached double-digit kills in consecutive matches, tallying 10 on a .391 rate. Not to be outdone, Martina Foster went 9-for-13 on her swings for a .692 clip. That average ties her with TU Hall of Famer Debbie Varney for seventh in the 10-14 attempt range. Camryn Hughes notched a career-best six kills, with Carli Pigza (6) and Raven Chance (1) rounding out the offense. The setting duo of Elise Carmichael and Samantha Bunch dished out 22 and 13 assists, respectively. Pigza landed multiple service aces in a match for the first time in her five-year TU career, recording three. Foster also added two aces, her first time with more than one. Carmichael and Carly Sosnowski tallied a match-high 13 digs. Foster upped her career-best block total to five, including three solo stuffs.
Emory & Henry hit .210 as a team with 35 kills and 14 errors on an even 100 total attempts. Tusculum hit .364 with 45 kills, nine errors, and 99 total attacks. The Pioneers led the Wasps in assists (43-33), service aces (7-0), digs (49-35), and total blocks (6-3).
Tusculum never relented the lead throughout the entire match, only allowing Emory & Henry to tie the score three times.
The Pioneers garnered the first two points of the evening before the Wasps evened the frame at 2-all, the lone tie of set one. TU went on a 5-0 spurt to lead 9-3, begun by back-to-back kills from Gash. EHC crept back to a one-point deficit at 18-17 before Tusculum turned on the jets. Five of the final seven points of the set had Foster written on them, courtesy of two solo blocks and three kills by the freshman. TU committed a mere one attack error in the opening frame.
TU shot out to a 6-0 opening lead in set two, spurred on by the consistent serve of Pigza. The advantage steadily climbed to 10, then 12, with a high of 13 (twice). Foster cued up the 13th point in both instances, one with a solo block and the other with an ace. Hughes and Pigza closed down the relentless Wasps with the final two kills that TU needed. The Pioneers fired on an astounding .556 average with 17 kills on 27 swings.
The Wasps had no offensive support in the dire third set as Tusculum's defense held them to a negative hitting percentage (-.031). It was all Pioneers after the match's final tie at 10-all. Kills by Gash, Pigza, and three from Burrowes pushed the margin to 18-14. Three-straight TU points forced an Emory & Henry timeout, but Pigza responded right away with a kill. Carmichael clinched the elusive sweep with her claim-to-fame, a service ace.
Tusculum will seek to continue its successful weekend by visiting yet another Virginia institution on Saturday (Sept. 10), UVA Wise. First serve against the Cavaliers (3-3, 0-2 SAC) is scheduled for 2 p.m.
