GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University women's volleyball team will make a road trip to the North Carolina mountains to face a pair of tough opponents. Friday (Oct. 1) night at Lenoir-Rhyne will see the top-two in the SAC battle for first place. Mars Hill is scheduled to host the Pioneers on Saturday (Oct. 2) in the late afternoon.
RECAPPING THE WEEK
Tusculum (10-1, 6-0 SAC) rewrote history this past weekend in its wins over rivals Carson-Newman and Lincoln Memorial. Since the Pioneers joined the NCAA in 1998-99, the 10-1 start is the best in that span, tying two teams from the mid-1990s. The current winning streak of 10 had been done just twice before and only once in the NCAA-era (2010). TU is 6-0 in the South Atlantic Conference standing for the first time since entering the league ahead of the 1999-00 season.
Five Pioneers reached double-digit kills over the weekend: Emiah Burrowes (22), Carli Pigza (21), Raeley Matthews (20), Peyton Gash (15), and Bailey Parker (14). Parker fired on a .385 hitting percentage, while Burrowes hit .286. Elise Carmichael and Catherine Clingan split the setter's role, accumulating 54 and 32 assists, respectively. Behind the service line, Carmichael recorded nine aces, just ahead of her fellow setter Clingan's six. Matthews (4), Burrowes (2), and Carly Sosnowski (2) collected multiple service aces as well.
Defensively, Sosnowski dug up 42 attempts for a 4.67 dig per set average. Matthews notched 26, one dig more than Burrowes. Up front, Parker led the way with eight total blocks (one solo, seven assists), while Raven Chance (one solo, three assists) and Matthews (four assists) took part in four.
Carmichael leads Division II in aces with 38 and ranks second in aces per set (0.97). As a team, the Pioneers sit within the top-25 in aces per set (12th; 2.35), win-loss percentage (14th; 0.909), opponent hitting percentage (17th; 0.116), and total aces (24th; 101).
Across the SAC, TU leads the league in both aces per set and win-loss percentage. The Pioneers are second in opponent hitting percentage and aces, while sitting in third in assists per set (11.70) and kills per set (12.37).
LOOKING AHEAD
Lenoir-Rhyne (6-2, 4-0 SAC) and Tusculum are the only two teams in the SAC to remain perfect in league play. The Bears are riding a six-match winning streak into Friday night's contest with the Pioneers. Taylor Prall has been the main source of the offense, totaling 106 kills on a 3.12 per set average. Colette Romp has the second-most with 62. Mackenzie Hulsey has handed out 208 assists, a 7.17 per set rate. Ashley Hawkins is the leading server for the Bears, landing 13 aces. Defensively, the reigning Sports Imports/AVCA Division II Player of Week Rachel Bewick is heading up the LR back row with 180 digs, followed by Prall's 132. Emma Clark and Braelyn Faust are neck-and-neck in total blocks with 35 and 34, respectively.
Mars Hill (10-5, 2-4 SAC) was swept by Newberry on Tuesday night. The Lions host UVA Wise Friday before the Pioneers invade their campus. Sarah Goddard (159), Grace Lilly (156), and Jana Cuk (106) have reached triple-digits in the kill column. Jordan Schmucker has fueled the offense with 425 assists, averaging 9.04 per set. Cuk is the most lethal server with her 16 aces, followed by Schmucker (15), Goddard (13), Lilly (10), and Ully Martins (10). Martins, the Lions' libero, has recorded 270 digs, nearly 100 more than her closest teammate. At the net, Nikkayla Stewart is averaging just under one block per set (0.98) for a total of 46 thus far.
Links to live stats and video for Tusculum University athletic events can be found through tusculumpioneers.com.
ATTENDANCE POLICIES
Both Lenoir-Rhyne and Mars Hill require spectators to be masked when indoors at any facility, but may be unmasked outdoors if fully vaccinated.
