GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum women's volleyball team earned an emphatic victory over archrival Carson-Newman on Tuesday (Oct. 10) night in front of an enthused crowd.
The Pioneers (12-5, 8-2 SAC) avenged last month's loss to the Eagles (8-10, 6-4 SAC) in straight sets: 25-23, 25-20, 25-20.
Carson-Newman was led by nine kills from Taylor Adams, followed by seven from Julia Wheeler. Blair Cherry distributed 24 assists, while McKenna Hall and Bennett McCombs landed three service aces each. Three Eagles finished with double-digit digs: libero Trinity Hafey (16), Wheeler (13), and Cherry (12). Taylor Keeran and Madison Fisher combined for the lone C-N block.
Emiah Burrowes and Aly Freeland reached double figures in kills with 11 and 10, respectively. Whitney Thompson was errorless in 19 swings, collecting nine kills for a .474 hitting percentage. Olivia Crowl hit .545 for seven kills and Martina Foster rounded out the scoring with five. Madison Adkins dished out 39 assists, the second-most of her career. Freeland (4), Jordyn Anderson (3), Caley Sosnowski (2), Adkins (1), and Perri Wood (1) were responsible for the Pioneer aces. Sosnowski tied for the match-high 16 digs with her libero counterpart, while Anderson registered the first double-digit dig total of her career (14). At the net, Crowl is credited with five total blocks (one solo, four assists), one assist more than Adkins.
Carson-Newman hit .115 as a team with 30 kills and 17 errors on 113 total attempts. Tusculum hit .237 with 42 kills, 14 errors, and 118 total attacks. The Pioneers led the Eagles in assists (40-28), service aces (11-8), digs (59-55), and total blocks (8-1). This marks the sixth time this season that TU has recorded 10 or more aces and the first time in back-to-back matches.
Each set in the rivalrous matchup was tightly contested, but the closest score was the opening frame. Tusculum had its highest hitting set (.270), aided by Crowl's 3-for-3 effort and two blocks. Anderson recorded two of her aces in the span as well. Neither team led by more than three until Carson-Newman forced a TU timeout at 15-11, hoping to slow down the Eagles. The advantage extended to five at 21-16 and the Pioneers called for their second pause. From there, Tusculum went on a 9-2 run to close out the frame, powered by Anderson's solid serve. Freeland added three kills and an ace to complement.
Despite C-N outhitting TU in set two, the Pioneers rallied once again to up the match lead. Tusculum notched six aces in the frame to change the momentum. Just as in the opening set, the score remained close between the rivals. Carson-Newman tied its largest lead at 12-9 before a Crowl kill sent Freeland back to serve. In three of the next four attempts, the senior recorded an ace to swing the score into TU's favor. Adkins' ace extended the lead to its highest at four (19-15), but the Eagles crept back into contention. Freeland stepped up for two late-set kills and an untimely setting error by C-N ended the frame.
Tusculum won every facet in set three: kills (18-3), hitting percentage (.229- -.059), total blocks (4-1), and service errors (0-5). However, the Pioneers started out with a 3-0 deficit to begin the final frame. TU was able to take a momentary lead, but C-N went on a 5-0 run. After the Tusculum timeout, things started clicking with Wood behind the service line and Thompson in the front row. In a five-point span, Thompson found open flooring for four kills, adding a fifth kill soon after. The Pioneer net defense closed out the frame with three blocks across the final seven scores, including the finale.
Tusculum is set to travel to North Carolina for a Friday the 13th showdown at Wingate, who is receiving votes in this week's national poll. The match between the Pioneers and Bulldogs is scheduled for 6 p.m.
