CHARLESTON, W. Va. --- The Tusculum University men's volleyball team were swept in a pair of matches on Saturday afternoon in West Virginia. The young Pioneers are now on a four-match skid after battling big-name opponents.
In the first match, George Mason beat Tusculum before Charleston repeated the effort later in the evening.
George Mason 3, Tusculum 0
The Patriots (6-4) won by scores of 25-13, 25-22, 25-13 to sweep the Pioneers (2-8).
George Mason finished with seven kills by three players in the rounded effort: Sam Greenslade, Richie Hoff, and Jack Reese. Reese went 7-for-8 with no errors to collect a .875 hitting percentage for the match. Ayrton Garcia-Jurado dished out 23-of-25 assists, meanwhile Hoff recorded nine service aces. Greenslade also added four aces. Four Patriots recorded a trio of digs: Garcia-Jurado, Greenslade, Brad Creamer, and Chris Allen. Hoff led the defensive stand at the net with four block assists.
Matteo Miselli collected a match-high 11 kills, followed by Tom Kait (5), Mackenzie Scott (4), and Arthur Amorim (3). Amorim only needed five swings, alongside zero errors, to finish with a .600 hitting clip. Lucas Blanco led the way with 20 assists, while Miselli recorded the lone Pioneer ace. Amorim and Kait notched a pair of digs on the afternoon, respectively. At the net, Amorim added two block assists. Blanco and Shaphar Grant rounded out the category with an assist each.
George Mason finished the match with a .291 hitting percentage with 27 kills and 11 errors in 55 total attempts. TU tallied 25 kills, 13 errors, and 62 attacks for a .194 hitting percentage. The Patriots led the Pioneers in assists (25-23), aces (17-1), digs (15-8), and total blocks (7-2).
Charleston (W. Va.) 3, Tusculum 0
Max Senica posted eight kills on a .353 clip, pacing Charleston to a 3-0 win over Tusculum. The Golden Eagles won the match by scores of 25-18, 25-23, 25-20 in the final game of the day.
Charleston also had five kills from Ian Barker and four from Will Kimenhour, Jake Vorburger, and Ismael Sneed. Diego Villafane handed out 19 assists, while Kimenhour landed three aces. Sean Drexl dug up six attacks, followed by four from Senica. Kimenhour finished with three total blocks (one solo, two assists) and Sneed added three assists.
Miselli once again led the match in kills, collecting 10. Kait was not far behind with his career-high seven kills. Blanco dished out 18-of-21 assists in game two. Miselli finished with a pair of aces, while Blanco, Kait, and Scott capped off the column with one each. Jaret Knight stepped up with a match-high eight digs, ahead of Ivan Sosa with four. Miselli led the blocking for Tusculum and is credited with two total (one solo, one assist). Sosa teamed up with Miselli for the remaining assist.
Charleston ended the match with a .257 hitting percentage with 30 kills and 12 attack errors in 70 total attempts. Tusculum notched 22 kills, 17 errors, and 72 attacks for a .069 hitting percentage. The Golden Eagles led the Pioneers in assists (27-21), aces (6-5), digs (26-22), and total blocks (6-2).
Tusculum hits the court again on Tuesday at in-state rival Lincoln Memorial for a 7 p.m. rematch.
