CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. --- The Tusculum men's volleyball team rallied for a five-set win over Thomas More on Friday (Mar. 28) night in Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (IVA) action.
The Pioneers (13-10, 1-2 IVA) pulled off the reverse sweep of the Saints (7-11, 0-6 IVA) by scores of 26-28, 21-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-8.
Dominic Rossi led the match with 25 kills for Thomas More, followed by 11 from Jacob Schurfranz. Noah Smith-Trondle dished out 51 assists, while Will Busken landed three service aces. Tyler Vasquez finished with nine digs as Busken tallied three total blocks.
Three Pioneers reached double figures in the kill department: Deklan Wingo (21), Morgan Makovec (15), and Joel Dubinsky (10). Makovec hit .667 for his career-high total. Aiden Roper and Caleb Hammann recorded four and two kills, respectively. Kevin Blankenship distributed 46 assists as five players landed an ace: Wingo, Makovec, Blankenship, Roper, and Hammann. Patrick Gresham upped his career-best to 13 digs. At the net, both Wingo and Makovec registered six total blocks, while Hammann assisted in four.
Thomas More hit .241 as a team with 61 kills and 28 errors on 137 total attempts. Tusculum hit .271 with 52 kills, 20 errors, and 118 total attacks. The Saints led the match in assists (55-50) and service aces (10-5), while the Pioneers tallied more digs (44-38) and total blocks (14-6).
TMU edged out TU in set one despite being outhit .333 to .323 and the Pioneers landing two more kills (16-14). The Saints led the entire set, except for nine ties, most of which were near the end of the frame. Wingo and Makovec each tallied five kills as Thomas More recorded three aces. The teams were never separated by more than three points during the set. Down 16-13, Tusculum went on a 3-0 spurt to force another tie. The foes traded points until TMU had set-point at 24-22. However, back-to-back errors by the Saints sent the frame into overtime. TU fought off two additional set-points but the Saints marched on.
The second frame featured 11 ties and the first two lead changes of the contest. TMU finished with 16 kills to TU's 10. Tusculum had three rejections in the set, all including Makovec. Wingo added four kills, while Gresham scooped up five digs. Once again, Thomas More landed a trio of aces. The Pioneers' first lead of the match came at 4-3, but was short lived as the Saints regained the lead at 8-7. The teams remained in a three-point swing until TMU rallied late. Tied at 21-all, Thomas More rattled off four-straight scores.
TU responded with authority to start the third set, leading the entire frame, minus three ties. The Pioneers outhit the Saints .360 to .185, while Wingo and Makovec were a combined 9-for-13 with no errors. All three of Tusculum's blocks in the set came within the first 15 points. TU shot out to a 10-3 advantage behind a 6-0 run, with four kills by Wingo in the span. TMU went on a 7-1 spurt to force a tie at 12-12. Tusculum regained its footing after a timeout to go up 19-16. Thomas More kept it close but consecutive errors in crunch time extended the match.
A late run by Tusculum in the fourth set tied the match and sent it to a decisive fifth frame. The teams tied one another eight times and the lead changed hands three times. TMU outhit TU .188 to .167, with the Saints recorded four more kills than the Pioneers (14-10). Wingo and Makovec combined for eight kills, while the defense recorded five blocks, three including Wingo. Tusculum started with a 7-3 edge before Thomas More came back and tied the score. The Saints continued to pour it on, leading 17-13. The Pioneers responded to regain the lead at 19-17. TMU tried to end the match, but TU held on.
The fifth set was all Tusculum, with the lone tie at 1-1. The Pioneers held the home team to an even .000 hitting clip. TU had three blocks in the frame, involving five Pioneers. Seven of Tusculum's points came via unforced errors by TMU (attack errors, service errors, and set errors). The remaining Pioneer scores were four kills and an ace by Roper. The final frame was the lone set in which Thomas More did not record a service or a block.
Tusculum hosts North Greenville on Tuesday (Apr. 1) in the second half of the home-and-home series. First serve between the Pioneers and Trailblazers is scheduled for 6 p.m.
