GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's volleyball team begins the month-long road trip by heading to the Midwest to face off with two Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) opponents in Lindenwood and McKendree.
RECAPPING THE WEEK
The Pioneers picked up their second win of the season in the lone match of the week, a home scrum with Bluefield College. The Black and Orange swept the Rams in efficient fashion in straight sets.
Shaun Kampshoff showed out, collecting season-highs in kills (12) and hitting percentage (.429). His three attack errors are his fewest of the year, alongside tying his career-best three service aces. Matteo Miselli recorded eight kills on a .583 clip, while Shaphar Grant went 3-for-3 on his swings. Hunter Walck earned three kills, followed by Tom Kait, Ivan Sosa, and Mackenzie Scott with a pair each. Lucas Blanco also collected a kill. Blanco dished out 25 assists on the afternoon and Peter Stewart recorded a trio. Aside from Kampshoff's three aces, Scott and Blanco notched two each, while Miselli accounted for one.
Defensively, Blanco and Stewart finished with a team-high five digs. Miselli and Sosa are credited with two as well. At the net, Arthur Amorim registered the Pioneers' only solo block, while Kampshoff and Sosa teamed up for the remaining block.
Tusculum leads the independent teams in aces per set (1.64), good for 15th nationally, and is second in opponent hitting percentage (.230). Individually, Miselli ranks first among the unaffiliated with .476 aces per set, 22nd nationally, while third in hitting percentage (.261). He is also fourth in kills per set (2.90) and points per set (3.62). Kampshoff is third in the aces per set category with a .368 average. Blanco ranks fourth among the independent players with 6.95 aces per frame.
LOOKING AHEAD
Lindenwood (3-4), the sixth-best team in Division II according to Off the Block, will battle Tusculum in both teams' first match of the week. The Lions hosted an invitational this past weekend, going 1-2 with a sweep of Lees-McRae. AJ Lewis is leading the offensive production with 68 kills, followed by Diego Negron (53) and Jeremy Kirch (52). Elijah Tabuarua is averaging exactly nine assists per set for a total of 216. At the line, Negron is the major threat, collecting 15 aces thus far. His .652 aces per set average ranks second among the MIVA and eight nationally. In the back row, Kyle Deutschmann has recorded 51 digs, while at the net, Sam Schindler leads with 29 total blocks (three solo, 26 assists). Schindler sits second across the MIVA conference and 10th nationally with 1.318 blocks per set. As a team, the Lions are in the top-20 in the country in blocks per set (2.423), aces per set (1.65), and opponent hitting percentage (.220).
McKendree (4-4), number three across DII as polled by OTB, hosts Urbana on Friday before bringing in the Pioneers on Saturday. The Bearcats attended the Lindenwood Invitational that wrapped up yesterday and went 1-2 with their lone win against Lees-McRae as well. Zach Schnittker heads up the kills category with 80 with Patrick Ross (68) and Wyatt Dimke (55) following behind. Dimke's kills have come on a .411 hitting clip as well, third in the MIVA and 12th nationally. Ryan Serrano has dished out 258 assists, while Ross's 11 aces lead the team. The dig race is tight with just four separating the top two: Serrano (62) and Francisco Comas (58). Dimke is also excelling at the net, totaling 29 blocks (five solo, 24 assists).
Links to live stats and video for Tusculum University athletic events can be found through tusculumpioneers.com.
