GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University women's volleyball team returns to action after a 10-day layoff to host Limestone on Friday (Oct. 29) for Senior Night festivities. The Pioneers will honor five: Sydney Byrd, Lydia Collins, Catherine Clingan, Carli Pigza, and Carly Sosnowski.
TU puts on the line a 9-0 home record this fall and has won 12-straight in Pioneer Arena dating back to the 2019 season.
RECAPPING THE WEEK
Tusculum (16-2, 12-1 SAC) last played on the 19th, sweeping past UVA Wise in three sets.
Emiah Burrowes collected a match-high 11 kills on a .500 hitting percentage. Carli Pigza also averaged .500 going 8-for-16 on her swings. Raeley Matthews did not record an attack error either with eight kills on a .348 clip. Elise Carmichael handed out 17 assists, while Madison Adkins notched 14. Matthews landed four service aces, followed by Carly Sosnowski (3), Carmichael (2), and Burrowes (1).
Defensively, Sosnowski scooped up a match-best 16 digs, just ahead of Burrowes and Matthews with 11 each. Emma Johnson is credited with four total blocks in the match (one solo, three assists), the second-most of her career. Three Pioneers collected a pair of blocks: Peyton Gash, Pigza, and Matthews.
Of note, Carmichael has landed at least one ace in 17-straight matches and Burrowes earned her sixth double-double of the season. Carmichael is three aces shy of 100 for her career and is just six away from 10th-most in program history. She would become only the third player to be ranked within the top-10 in both career categories. Sosnowski is 90 digs away from 1,000 in her TU playing time.
Carmichael leads Division II in aces per set (0.75) and is fourth in total aces (48), two shy of the leader. Sosnowski is averaging 5.12 digs per set, good for 39th nationally. As a team, the Pioneers sit within the top-50 in win-loss percentage (8th; 0.889), aces per set (15th; 2.16), opponent hitting percentage (19th; 0.127), and total aces (46th; 147).
Across the SAC, TU leads the league in aces per set and win-loss percentage. The Pioneers are second in aces and opponent hitting percentage, while ranked third in assists per set (11.99), hitting percentage (0.217), and kills per set (12.56).
LOOKING AHEAD
Limestone (7-10, 4-8 SAC) is scheduled to make the Tusculum-UVA Wise weekend trip, beginning with the Pioneers on Friday (Oct. 29) night. Three Saints have tallied over 100 kills this season: Josie Curran (181), Vanessa Blas (158), and Madysen Williams (136). Curran also fired on a .293 rate. Paige Gardella has dished out nearly six assists per set, for a total of 344. She is the far-and-away service ace leader with 25. Gabby Wessels has collected 293 digs, playing in all 60 of Limestone's sets. Madyson Lousignont is credited with 31 total blocks (three solo, 28 assists), followed by Madeline Yeager with three less block assists.
Links to live stats and video for Tusculum University athletic events can be found through tusculumpioneers.com.
ATTENDANCE POLICIES
At Tusculum, face coverings are required indoors for all individuals when physical distancing cannot be guaranteed, even those who are protected. For volleyball in particular, visiting fans will not be allowed. However, a pass list will be made for the visiting team, which allows two family members per student-athlete.
