CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. --- The Tusculum men's volleyball team has won consecutive contests behind a thrilling comeback over Thomas More on Friday (Feb. 16) night.
The Pioneers (3-8, 1-0 IVA) picked up its first league win of the season over the Saints (7-6, 0-2 IVA) via scores of 13-25, 19-25, 25-23, 25-23, 15-13.
Thomas More was led by 15 kills on a .364 hitting percentage by Luke Duncan. Conner Young dished out 41 assists, while Ben Albers collected three service aces. Defensively, Eli Chambers scooped up 12 digs as Caleb Lipscomb was credited with three total blocks (two solo, one assist).
Deklan Wingo (19) and Colby Landry (16) led the Tusculum offense in a big way. In only three sets, Landry fired on a .414 clip. Aiding the duo were Morgan Makovec (7), Donovan Nye (4), Jaden Bramhall (3), Tristan Blake (3), Joel Dubinsky (2), and Jabes de la Cruz (1). Blake distributed 42 assists, while he, de la Cruz, Wingo, and Nye landed the Pioneer aces. Matt Moore finished with a season-high 14 digs. At the net, both Wingo and Bramhall had a hand in three blocks.
Thomas More hit .270 as a team with 53 kills and 19 errors on 126 total attempts. Tusculum hit .213 with 55 kills, 25 errors, and 141 total attacks. The Pioneers led the match in assists (52-49) and total blocks (8-5), while the Saints tallied more service aces (8-4) and digs (48-44).
Thomas More led the first set, start to finish, hitting .500 to set the early tone. The Saints also landed five aces throughout the frame. Makovec was the highlight for TU, going 3-for-3 on swings. TMU started on an 8-0 run, setting up the Pioneers for a nearly impossible task.
Set two was just a bit closer, but the Saints still hit .407 with 14 digs defensively. Blake notched two blocks, while Wingo was 5-of-8 on attempts. Tusculum managed two early ties but Thomas More broke the tit-for-tat up with a three-point spurt at 12-11, extending up to a six-point edge at 23-17.
Landry proved to be the catalyst over the final three sets to spark the reverse sweep. The senior accounted for seven kills in his first set of work as the Pioneers fought through 11 ties and four lead changes to keep the match alive. The third set was tightly contested until Tusculum rallied from an 18-14 deficit. With Makovec serving, Wingo and Landry brought the margin back within reach. Tusculum used another late run at 19-20 to pull ahead for the set win. Four unforced errors in the span for the Saints aided in extending the match.
Wingo and Landry both landed seven kills in set four as the TU offense hit .324 in the frame. Defensively, Moore registered five digs, while the front row totaled three rejections. In what was easily the most contested frame, the teams combined for 12 ties and six lead changes. Down 19-17, Tusculum needed a rally and got one with setter Blake behind the service line. Wingo tallied four-straight kills and then assisted on a block with Bramhall, forcing a TMU timeout. The Saints fought off two set-points by Landry set the match to a fifth set.
Tusculum led the final frame from start to finish. The Pioneer defense recorded three blocks and middle Bramhall was 2-for-3 on swings, including the opening point. TU led by as many as five (13-8) but the Saints kept marching. At 14-11, once again, Thomas More fought off two match-points, but Landry put the game away to clinch the victory.
Tusculum returns home for its second Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (IVA) match when it hosts Lincoln Memorial on Tuesday (Feb. 20). The Pioneers and Railsplitters are set for a 6 p.m. first serve.
