WINTER PARK, Fla. --- The Tusculum University women's volleyball team suffered a pair of losses on Saturday (Sept. 9) to finish the Rollins Invitational with a 2-2 record.
The Black and Orange (6-3) comes home and returns to South Atlantic Conference action on Tuesday (Sept. 12), playing host to Coker in a 6 p.m. start.
Match 1: Chadron State 3, Tusculum 0
The Pioneers started off the final day of the tournament versus the Eagles (4-2) by suffering its first loss in over a week by scores of 25-18, 25-22, 25-23.
Alexia Hurtado registered eight errorless kills on a .348 average to head up the Chadron State attack, tied by Mayson Fago's total as well. Both Kally Kirkwood and Aiyana Fujiyama recorded seven kills and fired over .375. Kendyl Kirkwood dished out 26 assists, while Rylee Greiman and Alondra Hernandez landed a pair of service aces each. Three Eagles collected double-digit digs in the victory: Hernandez (17), Hurtado (15), and Kendyl Kirkwood (11). A trio were also credited with four total blocks: Fujiyama (two solo, two assists), Hurtado (four assists), and Bella Adams (four assists).
Emiah Burrowes was the lone Pioneer to reach double-figures in kills with 12, while firing on a .333 hitting clip. Aly Freeland (7), Olivia Crowl (5), Whitney Thompson (5), McKayla Willey (5), Martina Foster (4), and Christina Jackson (2) rounded out the scoring. Madison Adkins and Mya Lewis combined for 37 assists, totaling 22 and 15, respectively. Four Pioneers landed an ace: Freeland, Foster, Adkins, and Lewis. Both Freeland and Amiranee Au notched 14 digs in the effort. Both Thompson (seven assists) and Crowl (two solo, three assists) tied their respective collegiate block totals, while Foster (all assists) added five as well.
Chadron State finished the match with a .220 hitting percentage with 35 kills and 11 attack errors in 109 total attempts. Tusculum totaled 40 kills, 22 errors, and 132 swings for a .136 hitting clip. The Pioneers led the match in assists (39-33) and blocks (10-8), while the Eagles had the edge in aces (6-4) and digs (62-53).
Match 2: Florida Tech 3, Tusculum 1
TU finished out the event with a four-set loss to the Panthers (4-4): 15-25, 26-24, 24-26, 24-26.
Florida Tech had six players record a kill, four of which reached double-digits: Maria Jesus Munoz (15), Cordelia Kearns (14), Lexi Lueger (12), and Antia Vallecas Rodriguez (11). Kenzie Delacher and Jeanne Hassoun shared the setting duties with 29 and 23 assists, respectively. Jesus Munoz and Delacher tallied two aces apiece. Four Panthers also notched double figures in digs: Munoz (21), Courtney Capar (19), Delacher (16), and Vallecas Rodriguez (12). Devyn Glassgold finished with five total blocks (one solo, four assists).
Tusculum was led once again by Burrowes with 14 kills on a .344 hitting percentage, followed by 10 by Thompson on a .409 clip. Adding to the kill total were Foster (6), Lauren Weaver (5), Freeland (4), Adkins (3), Willey (3), Isabella Biesterfeld (2), Jordyn Anderson (2), Bailey Parker (2), and Jackson (2). Adkins did the bulk of the setting with 35 assists, while Lewis contributed 10. Freeland was responsible for half of the TU aces with four, joined by Caley Sosnowski (2), Lewis (1), and Adkins (1). The trio of Sosnowski (22), Burrowes (21), and Freeland (17) now own the season's top-three match dig totals. Thompson finished out the day with a team-best four block assists.
Florida Tech finished the contest with a .253 hitting percentage with 62 kills and 17 attack errors in 178 total attempts. Tusculum totaled 53 kills, 23 errors, and 173 swings for a .173 hitting clip. The Panthers led the match in assists (57-48), digs (92-82), and blocks (9-7), while the Pioneers held the slight advantage in aces (8-7).
