. --- Danae Stauffer recorded a double-double with 14 kills and
10 digs as the Tusculum College volleyball team defeated Mars Hill
University 3-1 at Pioneer Arena Tuesday night in South Atlantic
Conference action.
Tusculum (19-8, 14-6 SAC) won the match by scores of 25-22, 19-25,
25-22, 25-22 to sweep the season series over the Lions (15-10, 12-8
SAC) while remaining in sole possession of second place in the
league standings. The Pioneers have won seven of their last eight
matches and five straight over their cross-mountain rivals.
Tuesday's match was also the final home appearances for Tusculum
seniors Caitlyn Dean, Ashley Sarmiento and Kassie Voelker.
Dean, the South Atlantic Conference's all-time leader in digs,
finished with 20 digs in her collegiate home finale. Her career
tally increases to 3,075, which are the second most in NCAA
Division II history and 32 off the record of 3,107 digs set by
Holly Morgan of Tiffin University (2003-06).
Sarmiento finished her TC home career with a double-double,
accounting for 15 assists and a dozen digs, while Voelker tallied
nine kills, four digs, four blocks and three service aces.
Mars Hill's Marissa Wixson led all players with her 15 kills as she
finished the match with 66 total attempts to go along with a
match-high 25 digs. MaryKate Griffin added 13 kills and seven digs,
while Toni Cole posted a dozen kills with her eight digs and two
blocks. The MHU setter duo of Courtney Worthington and Hannah
Wilson finished with 24 and 16 digs, respectively.
Tusculum never trailed in the opening set and used a 5-0 run late
in the frame to claim a 25-22 win. The Pioneers tallied a .244
hitting percentage as Stauffer contributed four kills while junior
Victoria Ashley finished with three in the set.
Mars Hill trailed 10-6 in the second set, but went on a 12-2 spurt,
including seven unanswered points at the start of the run as the
Lions won 25-19 to even the match at a set apiece. Griffin recorded
five kills, while Cole added four. Senior Maggie Murphy led the
defensive charge as she recorded 12 of her 23 digs on the night in
the second set alone.
TC fought off a 14-11 deficit in the third frame, going on a 7-0
run that was sparked by three consecutive Stauffer kills as the
Pioneers led 18-14. A TC service error and back-to-back aces by
Mars Hill's Victoria Kaiser brought the Lions back to within one
(18-17). The Lions would tie the set at 2-22 following a TC attack
error, but the Pioneers claimed the final three points, including a
Voelker kill on set-point to win 25-22 and take a 2-1 advantage in
the match.
Tusculum bolted out to an 8-1 lead in the fourth set, including
seven straight points on Megan Hasse's serve. MHU would score four
in row to trim the TC lead to 8-5, but after a Tusculum timeout,
the Pioneers went on a 5-0 run to take a 13-5 advantage following a
Voelker ace. TC led by as many as 17-10 and held a 23-17 advantage
late in the set. The Lions made things interesting going on a 5-1
run, while fighting match point three times. But TC freshman Jaida
Allen close out the match with her fourth kill of the contest to
win the frame 25-22 to seal the victory.
Mars Hill finished the match with 113 digs as three players
eclipsed 20 digs each, including Wixson (25), Murphy and Christen
Nicholson (20).
Victoria Ashley posted seven kills, while Allen added four blocks,
including three solos. Hasse and freshman Rachel Garnett tallied
six kills each. Hasse also contributed 14 digs and a service ace
for the home team.
Tusculum will close out the regular season this weekend with a pair
of SAC road matches. TC will be at ninth-ranked Wingate University
on Friday for a 7 p.m. match. On Saturday, the Pioneers will travel
to SAC newcomer Coker College for a noon match in Hartsville,
S.C.
