GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum men's volleyball team made quick work of King on Wednesday (Mar. 26) in Pioneer Arena, sweeping the Tornado in just over an hour.
The Pioneers (12-10) swept the season series over Tornado (3-20) by scores of 25-20, 25-11, 25-12.
Colton Bueter finished with a team-high six kills for King, while Joao Pedro Ribeiro added 12 assists and five digs. At the net, both Ribeiro and Grayson Stoudt were credited with three blocks.
Deklan Wingo led the way for Tusculum with 13 kills on a .417 hitting percentage. Joel Dubinsky hit over .300 with 11 kills, ahead of Morgan Makovec's seven strikes on a .600 clip. Aiden Roper added three kills, followed by Donovan Nye (2) and Caleb Hammann (1). Kevin Blankenship dished out 30 assists, while Wingo landed four service aces. Both Blankenship and Roper were credited with six digs. Roper had a hand in four rejections.
King hit .043 as a team with 19 kills and 16 errors on 69 total attempts. Tusculum hit .352 with 37 kills, 12 errors, and 71 total attacks. The Pioneers led the Tornado in assists (35-18), service aces (8-0), digs (29-15), and total blocks (7-4).
Tusculum led the entire match, except for two ties in the first set. The opening frame held the lone positive hitting clip for the Tornado as TU knocked down 17 kills to King's 10. Makovec went 5-for-6, joined by Wingo and Dubinsky with five and four, respectively. After the final stalemate at 8-8, the Pioneers went on a 3-0 spurt, further pushing the lead to four at 15-11, forcing a King timeout. Makovec registered back-to-back kills to set up set-point, clinched by Roper.
King had only five kills in the second set, while Wingo (4) and Dubinsky (3) outscored the Tornado with their scores. Wingo also added three aces and the TU defense registered four blocks. The Pioneers shot out to a 7-1 advantage, keeping the pressure on to lead 16-9. Tusculum went on a 9-2 rally to close out the frame.
The Pioneers outhit the Tornado .400 to -.090 in the final set. King landed four kills, meanwhile Wingo and Dubinsky tallied four apiece. Tusculum's defense came up with three rejections at the net as well. With Blankenship at the service line, TU got out to a 5-0 start as King never got back within a four-point margin during the remainder of the match.
Tusculum returns to Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (IVA) play on Friday (Mar. 28) at Thomas More. First serve between the Pioneers and Saints is scheduled for 7 p.m.
