GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum men's volleyball team remained perfect in Pioneer Arena (4-0) and extended its winning streak to three with a straight-set victory over Cumberland on Thursday (Feb. 27) night.
The Pioneers (7-8) swept away the Phoenix (6-2) by scores of 25-22, 25-20, 25-21.
Joao Infante recorded 15 kills on a .480 hitting percentage. Sam Mannebach distributed 23 assists and landed a pair of service aces. Libero Alexander Heuer finished with nine digs, while former Pioneer Jake Whyte and Francesco Corradini were credited with a pair of block assists.
Deklan Wingo reset the three-set kills record with 22 against the Phoenix, firing on a .459 clip. Morgan Makovec (5), Joel Dubinsky (4), Aiden Roper (4), Riley Wisniakowski (4), and Caleb Hammann (1) rounded out the scoring. Wisniakowski dished out 33 assists. At the service line, Makovec landed a trio, followed by Wingo (2), Kai Williams (2), and Ty Keeble (1). Both Wingo and libero Taylor West tallied seven digs, just ahead of Dubinsky's six. Makovec had a hand in both TU blocks, joined by Roper and Wisniakowski.
Cumberland hit .247 as a team with 31 kills and 11 errors on 81 total attempts. Tusculum hit .309 with 40 kills, 15 errors, and 81 total attacks. The Pioneers led the match in assists (37-27), service aces (8-3), and digs (31-23), while the Phoenix registered more blocks (4-2).
The first set featured 11 ties and six lead changes as neither team held more than a two-point advantage until 16-13 in Cumberland's favor. After a Tusculum timeout, the Pioneers began their rally. Wingo, Dubinsky, and Roper led the charge, aided by a Williams ace. The trio combined for 12 kills, with Wisniakowski adding the three remaining tallies. A Makovec ace gave Tusculum the set-point with service errors providing the final scores.
Tusculum hit .480 in the second set, racking up 13 kills to only one error. Wingo and Makovec were a combined 10-for-14 as the Pioneer landed five aces. Once again, the teams jostled for an edge, with neither side allowing a three-point lead until 14-11. The Pioneers retook the advantage in the midst of a six-point run, highlighted by three kills from Wingo and a Makovec ace. Cumberland narrowed the gap to two on a few occasions before TU had key service points. Williams and Keeble provided the daggers, with Dubinsky, Wingo, and Makovec supplementing with kills.
Set three took a defensive turn as Tusculum recorded both of its blocks and Wingo and West combined for 11 digs. The Phoenix held the edge to begin the frame before a TU timeout at 10-7. The Pioneers responded with a 4-0 spurt, including the first block of the contest for the home team. Cumberland retook the lead as Keeble provided a spark off the bench at the service line. Wingo landed three consecutive kills with Keeble behind the line. The teams recorded five-straight service errors as TU held a narrow 19-17 advantage. Tusculum's second block came at 22-19, forcing the Phoenix to call for their final pause. Wingo and Dubinsky sent the score to match-point. Makovec called game with a walk-off ace.
Tusculum rounds out the extended home stay with a rematch against Lees-McRae on Wednesday (Mar. 5) at 6 p.m. TU won the first meeting in straight sets.
