GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- A new-look Tusculum University men's volleyball team debuted Tuesday (Jan. 11) night in a four-set loss to North Greenville inside Pioneer Arena.
The Crusaders (1-0) won by scores of 25-16, 25-21, 19-25, 25-12 to win over the Pioneers (0-1). New TU head coach Bryan Buckius was making his Pioneer debut.
Diego Rosich was the lone player for NGU to reach double-digit kills with his 11, but was closely followed by eight from Gregory Torres. Rosich fired on an efficient .474 hitting percentage, as did the latter with a .312 clip. Sergio Carrillo was responsible for 34 of the Crusaders' 38 assists on the night, while Emanuel Adames landed half of NGU's eight service aces. Torres also added a team-high nine digs. Michael de la Cruz is credited with five total blocks (one solo, four assists), just ahead of Brandon Baker's four block assists.
Jake Whyte and Deklan Wingo had impressive outings in their first match as Pioneers. Whyte tallied a team-high 10 kills in the effort, while adding six digs and a block assist on his birthday. Wingo's collegiate debut went to the tune of seven kills, one dig, and four total blocks (two solo, two assists).
Additionally, returners Dane Loup and Colby Landry contributed six kills apiece, followed by Shaun Kampshoff's five and Shaphar Grant's pair. In his first outing as Tusculum's primary setter, Kampshoff dished out a career-high 29 assists and a trio of aces. Loup scooped up a match-high 11 digs, while Arthur Della Nina notched three digs to begin his collegiate career.
North Greenville ended the match with a .269 hitting percentage with 41 kills and 16 attack errors on 93 total attempts. Tusculum totaled 36 kills, 22 errors, and 9101 swings for a .139 hitting percentage. The Crusaders led in assists (438-32), aces (8-4), and total blocks (9-5), while the Pioneers recorded more digs (35-34).
Tusculum hits the road for a six-match venture, beginning on Saturday (Jan. 15) at Ball State. First serve between the Pioneers and Cardinals is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
