GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum women's volleyball team felled the Limestone Saints on Tuesday (Oct. 17) night, moving to 6-1 at home in 2023.
The Pioneers (13-6, 9-3 SAC) blew out the Saints (8-7, 5-6 SAC) in three sets: 25-16, 25-14, 25-12.
Mia McMillen and Tatum Riddle each tallied seven kills for Limestone. Kamden Dalton and Jenna Szabelski both recorded nine assists, while Riddle landed three service aces for the Saints. Libero Calie Covey finished with a team-best 14 digs as Mia Martinez and Kaitlyn Thompson combined for the lone Saints block.
Emiah Burrowes recorded a match-high nine kills for the Pioneers. She was followed closely by Aly Freeland, Martina Foster, and Whitney Thompson, all with seven kills. The latter hit .429. Madison Adkins, (4), Olivia Crowl (2), Lauren Weaver (1), and Taylor Sanders (1) rounded out the scoring. Adkins dished out 31 assists, while Freeland (3), Adkins (2), Caley Sosnowski (1), and Amiranee Au (1) were responsible for the aces. Freeland (18), Sosnowski (15), and Jordyn Anderson (13) were all stalwart defensively, reaching double figures in digs. At the net, Foster is credited with five total blocks (one solo, four assists) and Crowl tallied four (one solo, three assists).
Limestone hit .-.026 as a team with 22 kills and 25 errors on 115 total attempts. Tusculum hit .271 with 38 kills, nine errors, and 107 total attacks. The Pioneers led the Saints in assists (36-21), service aces (7-4), digs (62-50), and total blocks (9-1).
Throughout the entire match, there were just three ties and two lead changes, with the majority coming in the first set. Tusculum hit .324 with four kills coming from both Burrowes and Foster, while Thompson went 3-for-3. The Pioneers started the match with a 3-1 deficit, but it quickly changed after a 12-1 run by the home team. The edge steadily climbed to reach double-digits but a five-point rally by the Saints gave them hope. TU rattled off the final three scores of the set via kills by Foster and Thompson, alongside a Limestone error, to seal the match lead.
Tusculum led set two from start to finish, highlighted by a 6-0 start. The Pioneer defense held the Saints to a -.024 hitting percentage, aided by a combined 15 digs from Anderson (8) and Freeland (7). Freeland and Adkins each landed back-to-back aces in their service streak as the advantage grew to double figures (13-3). Limestone responded with a 6-1 spurt, but TU went on an 8-0 run to lead 24-11. The Saints fought off three set-points before Crowl provided the clincher.
The Pioneers fired on all cylinders in the final frame, hitting .414 with five blocks, holding Limestone to a -.162 clip. Individually, Thompson went 4-for-6 and Sosnowski collected eight digs. The first three points of the set went the Pioneers' way, each one a block featuring Crowl. After the lone tie of the frame, Tusculum notched six-straight points, and 11 of the next 13, to nearly put the match away. The advantage grew to 22-9 before Limestone chipped away three scores, but the final trio were earned by the Pioneers to return to their winning ways.
Tusculum stays home for Senior Night on Friday (Oct. 20), hosting the Catawba Indians. The Pioneers will honor Isabella Biesterfeld, Emiah Burrowes, Aly Freeland, Bailey Parker, and Lauren Weaver prior to the 7 p.m. first serve.
