CHARLOTTE, N.C. --- The Tusculum University men's volleyball team opened up the Independent Volleyball Association (IVA) Tournament with a sweep of Alderson Broaddus in the play-in, marking the program's first postseason win. The Pioneers fell to top-seeded Lincoln Memorial in the last match of the day.
The Pioneers (4-13) will face Limestone (12-10) for the second time this week, with the consolation match beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday (Apr. 17).
Queens has announced that every player on each team is allowed two guests on the team pass list. Guests will only be allowed to watch the matches involving their respective team and must clear the facility following the conclusion of the match. Masks must be worn at all times in accordance with local and state guidelines.
Match 1: Tusculum 3, Alderson Broaddus 0
The Pioneers bullied their way past the Battlers (5-8), winning by scores of 25-14, 25-15, 25-15.
Tusculum posted a .382 hitting percentage as TU finished with 33 kills, seven attack errors, and 68 attempts. AB tallied a -.013 attack percentage with 22 kills, 23 errors and 75 attempts. The Battlers finished the day with three service aces to go along with 21 assists, and 23 digs. The Pioneers had eight aces with 9.5 total blocks and 25 digs.
TU's .382 average and 9.5 total blocks rank second-best in program history for a match, regardless of the length. The Pioneers' seven attack errors are the least amount recorded in the program's program's 35 previous outings.
Dane Loup had a career contest, going 8-for-11 on his swings for a program record .727 hitting percentage. Colby Landry (8) and Shaun Kampshoff (7) were efficient with their kills as well, firing on .400 and .357 clips, respectively. Caleb Slater tied a program-best four aces in the match, while Lucas Blanco notched 22 assists, six digs, and a pair of aces. Kampshoff, Shaphar Grant, and Slater are each credited with four total blocks. The first two Pioneers listed collected four block assists, but the latter contributed one solo block to three assists.
Alderson Broaddus garnered seven kills from both Gannon Chinen and Andrew Nielsen, who was only one-of-two Battlers to hit in the positive (.353). Che' Arbo dished out 19 assists, while three of his teammates notched an ace: Loic Nanchen, Chinen, and Bryce Pickett. Joe Mercado Samaniego dug up eight attack attempts as the team's libero. AB did not record a block in the contest.
The first set began and ended with an Alderson Broaddus service error. The frame was highlighted by a seven-point run by the Pioneers, including four aces by Slater. All of the service scores came within a five-point span, halved by a Battlers attack error. The Pioneers only had two attack errors in the frame to average .421 for the set, all the while holding AB to an even hitting percentage, thanks to the majority of TU's blocks (5.5).
Tusculum improved in the second set. The Pioneers fired on a .450 clip with, again, just two attack errors, while stifling the Battlers to a minuscule -.040 hitting percentage. Alderson Broaddus took the set's first two points, but TU caught traction and went on a 19-8 spurt. The teams traded the final few points, with the higher seeded Pioneers claiming another set.
AB's Arbo started set three just as he did the match, with a service error. Tusculum had the lowest hitting percentage of its night in the final frame (.310), but landed the most kills (12). The Pioneers used two five-point runs to fly past the Battlers, eventually leading 19-10. Tom Kait entered late in the third set, but closed out the win with a thunderous kill.
Match 2: Lincoln Memorial 3, Tusculum 0
The Railsplitters (11-8) won by scores of 25-21, 25-22, 25-20 to defeat the Pioneers in the semifinals.
Justin Sharfenaker, newly-minted Off the Block Freshman of the Year, led the team with 13 kills on a .321 average, Three Railsplitters tied with seven kills apiece: Johansen Negron, Pedro Carvalho (.462 hitting percentage), and Jacob Titus. AJ Risavy dished out nearly every assist for LMU, collecting 35-of-38. Negron landed a pair of aces and nine digs to lead the squad. Carvalho and Dawson Walker are each credited four total blocks (two solo, two assists).
Tusculum got a productive nightcap from Kampshoff and his match-best 14 kills. Blanco tallied 27 assists and team-high seven digs, while Slater added to his ace total with a pair. Grant notched four total blocks and Slater contributed three solo blocks and one assist. Loup and Blanco rounded out the category with three and two block assists, respectively.
Lincoln Memorial finished the match with a .270 hitting percentage with 39 kills and 15 attack errors in 89 total attempts. Tusculum totaled 32 kills, 19 errors, and 92 swings for a .141 hitting percentage. The Railsplitters led in assists (38-32), aces (5-3), and digs (38-30), while the Pioneers tied the top seed with eight total blocks.
