PHILIPPI, W.Va. --- The Tusculum University men's volleyball team won in four sets at Alderson Broaddus on Friday night (Jan. 27) in the first Independent Volleyball Association (IVA) match of the season. With the victory, second-year head coach Bryan Buckius became the winningest mentor in the young program's history.
The Pioneers (3-6, 1-0 IVA) won their sixth-straight match over the Battlers (2-2, 0-1 IVA) by scores of 25-19, 27-29, 25-22, 25-16.
Alderson Broaddus had double-digit kills from both Loic Nanchen (15) and Jaelin Gray (13), with the latter hitting .667. Andrew Haber dished out 40 assists, while Nanchen was responsible for three of the four AB service aces. Both Yankiel Cruz Resto and Colin Brooks tallied five digs. Haber and Andrew Nielsen were each credited with three total blocks (one solo, two assists).
Jake Whyte landed a season-best 19 kills on a .371 rate, with Colby Landry recording 16 on a .480 clip. Dane Loup tallied 12 strikes on a .429 average. Tristan Blake handed out 37 assists and was one of five Pioneers to serve up an ace. Landry notched a pair, joined by Deklan Wingo, Whyte, and Jaden Bramhall. Defensively, Taylor West and Loup scooped up five digs each. At the net, Wingo finished with a match-high four total blocks (four assists), ahead of Hunter Walck's trio of assists. Both Blake and Loup added three rejections (two solo, one assist).
Alderson Broaddus hit .272 as a team with 46 kills and 18 errors on 103 total attempts. Tusculum averaged a fiery .382 with 56 kills, 17 errors, and 102 total attacks. The Pioneers recorded more service aces (6-4), assists (53-44), digs (31-21), and total blocks (11-7) than the Battlers in the match.
The contest had a combined 39 service errors: 21 by the home team and 18 by the visitors. The Pioneers finished with a .382 hitting percentage, tied for the second-highest match average in the record book.
Tusculum led the entirety of the first set, bookended by kills from Wingo and Landry, respectively. The teams combined for 11 service errors in the frame, including a streak of six consecutive miscues, putting the Pioneers up 13-9. AB went on a 5-of-6 spurt to close the gap at one (19-18) before Whyte notched three of his kills to clinch.
Set two needed extra points to decide a winner. Alderson Broaddus held the lead until 16-15 backed by a combined six kills from Gray and Nanchen. Bramhall's ace put the Pioneers ahead, while one of Landry's serves extended the edge. TU had set-point at 24-23, thanks to a block by Bramhall and Wingo. Nielsen and Haber swung the momentum to the Battlers. After trading service errors, Landry and Nanchen continued the battle. One of Nate Rogers's five kills was the 28th point, while a Tusculum miscue provided the final tick.
AB won the first pair of points in set three before the Pioneers went on a five-score run, fueled by Blake's steady serve. Two three-point spurts returned the lead to the Battlers, holding their last advantage at 14-13. The remainder of the set stayed tight but Whyte and Landry kept the offensive attack strong, as did five unforced miscues by the home team.
The final frame was the most lopsided, as Tusculum finished the match with a 3-1 victory. Whyte notched five of his kills in the set, while the TU defense added four blocks, highlighted by a pair from Blake. The Pioneers took the lead for good at 4-3. The Pioneers claimed eight of the last 10 points of the match to end the contest, including back-to-back Loup kills to close out.
Tusculum continues its West Virginia weekend with a stop at Charleston on Saturday (Jan. 28). First serve between the Pioneers and the Golden Eagles is scheduled for 7 p.m.
