GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's beach volleyball team begins its inaugural season this weekend (Sept. 15-17) in Maryland.
Head coach Bryan Buckius has a roster of 23 at his disposal, featuring 12 student-athletes with collegiate experience and 11 freshmen.
THIS WEEK
TU's debut is scheduled to be September 15-17 at the Men's Beach Collegiate Challenge, sponsored by USA Volleyball and hosted by Stevenson University. The event is formatted with 32 teams (pairs) across eight pools with a round-robin system. The top three in each pool (24 total) advance to the single-elimination phase, leading up to the medal matches.
Tusculum is sending three pairs. Kevin Blankenship and Joel Dubinsky are the top pair, seeded 14th, and placed in Pool C. The duo is scheduled to play Lincoln Memorial No. 4 at 11 a.m., followed by Liberty No. 2 at 3 p.m. On Saturday, Blankenship and Dubinsky are set to face Penn State No. 1 at 10 a.m.
Colby Landry and Morgan Makovec are seeded 23rd and in Pool G. They start with George Mason No. 2 at 1 p.m. and Stevenson No. 1 at 5 p.m. The pairing finished pool play with Daemen No. 2 at noon on Saturday.
The final duo of Thiago Da Silva and Noa Svendsen sit just behind (24th) and will play in Pool H. They play at the same times as Landry and Makovec against Liberty No. 1, Vassar No. 1, and Juniata, respectively.
Other pairs competing at the event represent Webber International, Lewis, Thomas More, Randolph-Macon, McKendree, and a split duo from Wentworth/Rhode Island.
MEET THE TEAM
Blankenship, a right side hitter on the indoor court, graduated from Fred J. Page High School in his hometown of Franklin, Tennessee. The 6-1 freshman played football and basketball for the Patriots, earning all-district for the region champions on the hardwood.
Dubinsky has extensive USA Volleyball experience, both indoor and beach. The University Place, Washington native has also accumulated points on the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) beach circuit. The 6-1 freshman graduated from Curtis Senior High School and played club for Space Needle Volleyball Federation. Dubinsky placed third in the 2022 USAV indoor nationals and fifth in 2023. In the sand, he finished sixth in 2022. He was ranked first across Washington state in 2022-23 and also tops for Beach AVP in the state from 2019-23. Dubinsky twice won the Seaside Beach championship across two different levels (u16 and u18).
Landry, a 6-0 senior from the TU indoor squad, was the only player to see action in all 28 matches last season. He led the team with 312 kills, 28 service aces, and 130 digs, while adding 16 assists and 14 total blocks. Across his stellar Tusculum career, Landry has played in 69 matches, recording 584 kills, 44 assists, 55 aces, 295 digs, and 39 blocks. The Belle Rose, Louisiana native holds the men's indoor record for kills, attempts (1,365), and points (663).
Makovec has both a school and club volleyball background. The Virginia Beach, Virginia resident graduated from Floyd E. Kellam High School where he lettered in both volleyball and basketball. In 2022, the 6-5 middle blocker was named all-state second team and on the region first team, as part of two region championship squads. Makovec was the 2021 Ocean Volleyball Club most valuable player.
Da Silva of Orlando, Florida played sparingly for the indoor team in 2023. As a freshman, the 6-1 setter saw action in three matches, totaling 82 assists, one ace, six digs, and one block assist.
Svendsen, a Harrison, Tenn. resident, made the most of his limited playing time as a freshman. The 6-4 outside hitter recorded 11 kills on a .375 hitting percentage with two digs and one block assist.
The nine remaining returnees are Tristan Blake, Jaden Bramhall, Jabes de la Cruz, Arthur Della Nina, Dane Loup, Matt Moore, Kerry Tao, Taylor West, and Deklan Wingo.
Blake, a 6-3 setter from Allen, Texas, participated in 14 matches, notching 19 kills, 366 assists (second-most on the team), six aces, 43 digs, and 10 total blocks as a freshman.
Bramhall, a 6-4 setter from Tucson, Arizona, played in 24 matches, totaling 28 kills, a team-leading 613 assists, 20 aces, 88 digs, and 40 total blocks in his first collegiate season.
A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, de la Cruz saw action in 11 matches during his first year in Greeneville. He finished with 60 kills, five assists, eight aces, 33 digs, and 13 blocks as a 5-10 right side hitter.
Della Nina hails from Sao Paulo, Brazil and played in six matches last season. The 5-7 libero is going into his third year as a Pioneer, totaling nine assists, one ace, and 49 digs across 20 matches.
From Mandeville, Louisiana, Loup saw action in 19 matches as a 6-1 junior outside hitter. In his career, he has racked up 438 kills, 42 assists, 40 aces, 282 digs, and 48 total blocks in 63 matches.
In his freshman campaign, Moore played in 23 matches. The 6-0 libero from Longwood, Florida notched a kill, 18 assists, and 103 digs from the back row.
Tao did not play in the spring indoor season. Listed as a setter, the sophomore six-footer is from Duluth, Georgia.
West has been a fixture in the Tusculum backline for three seasons. The 5-11 libero from Colorado Springs, Colorado holds the program's dig record at 335 for his career, along with the digs per set mark. In 68 matches, West has also added 31 kills, 104 assists, two aces, and one block assist.
Through two seasons, Wingo sits second in the TU career hitting percentage record and in blocks per set. The 6-4 outside hitter has 352 kills, 17 assists, 38 aces, 127 digs, and 90 total blocks through 45 matches thus far as a Pioneer.
Eight other freshmen will also be battling for starting roles.
Nick Hale graduated from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio before moving to Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The 6-5 middle blocker lettered four seasons in volleyball and two in football. Hale was two honorable mentions and an all-region second team laurel, alongside being a state qualifier.
Glenn Johnson (Raleigh, N.C.) is a 6-4 middle blocker who graduated from Knightdale High School and played basketball.
Corey Long graduated from his hometown Clover High School in South Carolina. The 6-1 outside hitter played both volleyball and baseball for the Blue Eagles. Long was a two-time academic award winner, 2023 team MVP, and also won the region championship on the diamond as a junior.
Donovan Nye (Winder, Ga.) graduated from Winder-Barrow High School and played volleyball for the Bulldoggs. The 6-3 outside/right side hitter finished ninth at state where he was named to the all-tournament team.
Shane O'Neal graduated from Del Norte High School in San Diego, California before living in nearby Knoxville. The 6-4 outside hitter was named to the 2023 San Diego senior all-star team and all-conference second team. O'Neal was also selected to go to Clash of Titans in Hawaii during his final year. He collected a Palmar League championship, section runner-up in Division 2, and was a state semifinalist.
A 6-6 right side hitter, Cameron Reeder graduated from Clear Creek High School in his hometown of League City, Texas.
Luke Sears graduated from Langham Creek High School in his native Houston, Texas. The 6-6 middle blocker lettered four seasons in tennis and was voted most improved as a senior.
The youngest of three brothers, Adam Svendsen (Harrison, Tenn.) graduated from Collegedale Academy. The 6-4 outside hitter also excelled in tennis, finishing as a state finalist.
