SALISBURY, N.C. -- Tusculum College advanced to the semifinals of the 2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Volleyball Tournament with a 3-0 win over Mars Hill College in quarterfinal action Friday afternoon at Goodman Gym on the campus of Catawba College.

The second-seeded Pioneers (24-5) defeated the seventh-seeded Lions (13-12) by set scores of 25-20, 25-17 and 25-20 and will play Lincoln Memorial University at 4 p.m. on Saturday in the semifinals after the Lady Railsplitters edged Anderson 3-2 in the fourth and final quarterfinal match on Friday. Wingate and Carson-Newman will meet in the other semifinal match after both squads picked up five-set victories earlier Friday afternoon. Tusculum will be making its first appearance in the SAC semifinal round since 2001.

Allyson Ray led the Pioneers with a team-high 13 kills, while Rhayne Smitherman and Sam Underwood followed Ray with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Setter Ashley Sarmiento totaled 38 assists, while libero Caitlyn Dean recorded 33 digs. Marissa Wixson led Mars Hill with 12 kills, while adding 10 digs and three blocks, and Maggie Murphy posted 25 digs.

Tusculum ran off six straight points in the opening set to turn a 15-14 lead into a 21-14 advantage, as Smitherman and Alyssa Raterman each had a pair of kills in the run. In set two, another streak of five unanswered points pushed the Pioneers to a 21-13 lead. The third set saw the Lions creep within 21-19, but a kill from Underwood and an ace by Dean gave Tusculum a 23-19 advantage, and Underwood and Raterman posted kills for the final two points of the match for the Pioneers.

Bailee Price chipped in with five kills and 16 digs for the Pioneers, and Ray, Underwood and Raterman had two blocks apiece. As a team, the Pioneers hit .237 in the match while limiting the Lions to just .110 in the contest, including no better than .122 in any of the three sets.

- TC -