GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University men's volleyball team will play 27 regular season matches, including eight contests against other members of the Independent Volleyball Association (IVA), with the release of TU's 2023 schedule.
Second-year head coach Bryan Buckius has 21 men on his 2023 roster, composed of 10 freshmen with the remaining 11 having collegiate experience. In his inaugural campaign, the Pioneers racked up the most wins in program history with their 8-20 finish. Tusculum used a five-set thriller to upset Fairleigh Dickinson, finishing fifth at the IVA Tournament.
Tusculum will compete across five states in its 10-match January, including a trio of road trips. Four of TU's 10 home contests are scheduled in the opening month as well. The first five foes to begin the season hail from Conference Carolinas.
Erskine serves as the season opener on January 6 for both squads. The Flying Fleet appeared in the Conference Carolinas quarterfinals in 2022, finishing the season 13-18 overall. Sporting two transfers from Erskine, Tusculum will go for its first win versus the Flying Fleet in the series' fourth meeting.
Continuing the weekend on the road, Emmanuel will be the destination less than 24 hours later. TU evened the series history with the Lions in 2022 by virtue of a five-set thriller. EC finished 15-14 overall, dropping its Conference Carolinas semifinal contest after ending Erskine's season in the opening round.
Mount Olive invades Pioneer Arena for Tusculum's home opener on January 12. A new era for the Trojans begins in 2023 as they will be under new leadership. UMO is coming off of a second-place finish in the league tournament on its home court, finalizing its 16-7 record. This will mark the third matchup between the Pioneers and Trojans, with TU seeking a tally in the win column.
Barton follows the next night. Tusculum was victorious in the four-set contest in 2022, the first meeting between the programs. The Bulldogs are on the coaching market, as its head man resigned last month. BC was winless in 20 tries in 2022, suffering 12 sweeps.
North Greenville stops the homestand on January 19. The Crusaders experienced the first coaching change in program history over the summer as its founder announced his retirement. In a season to remember, NGU went 21-6 overall, swept the league titles, and claimed Conference Carolinas' first NCAA tournament victory before falling to the eventual national champion. The Crusaders are 4-0 versus Tusculum in series history.
The Pioneers make the trip to Ball State for the second time in as many years on January 21. The Cardinals had a historic 2022 season thanks in part to its 23-4 record. The 2022 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) regular season and tournament champions, BSU was also ranked third in the final NVA/AVCA Men's Division I-II Coaches Poll (highest in program history). Ball State was the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship as well.
Nearby King is the last home match of the month (Jan. 24), yet another Conference Carolinas opponent. The Tornado went 17-12, falling to Mount Olive in the league semifinal in 2022. The in-state rivalry has been a one-sided affair, with all four meetings going to the team from Bristol.
January ends with a weekend trip to West Virginia. While in the Mountain State, the Pioneers will square up against Alderson Broaddus and Charleston on consecutive days (Jan. 27-28).
Tusculum is a perfect 5-for-5 in meetings against the Battlers. The excursion to Philippi is tabbed as the IVA opener as well. Alderson Broaddus went 6-23 (0-9 IVA) in 2022, tied for their most wins since 2016. AB failed to record a win in the independent tournament at season's end, falling in all three matchups.
The Pioneers have not seen the Golden Eagles since TU's inaugural season in 2020, dropping a straight-set decision. Hunter Walck is the lone Pioneer to have faced UC in the match. Ending with a 9-14 record (5-11 EIVA) record, Charleston narrowly missed out on the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association tournament last season.
Tusculum traverses to New Jersey for the first time in team history to kick off February. The Pioneers will see the storied programs of Princeton (Feb. 4) and New Jersey Institute of Technology (Feb. 5) on their respective home courts.
The Tigers will be looking to defend their EIVA title and return to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season. Princeton returns its EIVA Newcomer of the Year, First Team All-EIVA honoree, and EIVA Tournament Most Outstanding Player from the 15-13 (10-6 EIVA) roster. The Tigers suffered a monumental upset in the NCAAs as Princeton was swept by NGU in the opening round to shut down a 10-match winning streak.
NJIT saw its 2022 season end at the hands of the crosstown Tigers in the EIVA finals to finish 17-11 (10-6 EIVA), the Highlanders' second-most wins since 2007. A seven-match winning streak bridged January and February, including an upset of nationally-ranked UC San Diego, as the campaign's focal point.
February's three-match homestand features familiar IVA foes: Queens (Feb. 9), Limestone (Feb. 10), and Lincoln Memorial (Feb. 14).
The Royals are in their final season as an independent after announcing the program's absorption into the MIVA. Queens put together an 18-12 campaign last season, capped off by a bronze finish as the IVA Tournament host. Tusculum continues the hunt for its first victory over the Royals in program history in the sixth all-time meeting.
The Saints set a new program win record with its 18-11 overall mark, highlighted by a 7-1 start. Limestone collected a fourth-place finish at its second IVA Tournament, dropping the bronze matchup to the host. Tusculum nearly picked up its second ever win over the Saints last season as LU survived a five-set upset bid.
The Railsplitters have won the last four IVA Tournament titles but will test their talents with a four-match California swing to open 2023. LMU went an impressive 20-7, winners of the final 10 matches, including a perfect 9-0 in Mary Mars Gym. Going 7-6 away from its home court, TU's best chance to put a dent in the series history comes in Pioneer Arena on Valentine's Day.
Tusculum has a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) weekend series scheduled to close out February (Feb. 24-25). While in Georgia, the Pioneers will visit Fort Valley State and Morehouse, each a historically black college and university (HBCU) entering its second season sponsoring the sport.
The Wildcats came to Tusculum last season and suffered a sweep. FVSU ended with a respectable 8-15 overall in its first year.
The Maroon Tigers will be seeking the first win in program history when they host the Pioneers for their season opener. Morehouse went 0-19 in its inaugural campaign.
The Pioneers will play the second half of 11 home-and-home series throughout the season: Erskine (Jan. 17), North Greenville (Mar. 10), Emmanuel (Mar. 11), Fort Valley State (Mar. 17), Limestone (Mar. 24), Queens (Mar. 25), Alderson Broaddus (Apr. 1), Lincoln Memorial (Apr. 1), King (Apr. 4), Barton (Apr. 7), and Mount Olive (Apr. 8).
The rematch versus the Fort Valley State Wildcats in mid-March will serve as Tusculum's Senior Night, the last home contest of the 2023 season.
Additionally, LMU will host the tri-match on April Fool's Day, featuring TU and Alderson Broaddus.
The 2023 season will be capped off by the IVA Tournament, which runs from April 14-15, and will be hosted by Queens University of Charlotte for the third-straight year.
The National Collegiate Men's Volleyball semifinal and final rounds will take place from May 4-6 at EagleBank Arena on the campus of George Mason University. The participating teams will be selected on April 23.
