GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University women's volleyball team survived a five-set nail-biter on Senior Night against an upset-minded Limestone on Friday (Oct. 29). The Pioneers have now won 13-straight home matches dating back to 2019, including a perfect 10-0 this fall in Greeneville.
The Black and Orange (17-2, 13-1 SAC) won the match by scores of 19-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-17, 15-11 to outlast the Saints (7-11, 4-9 SAC). TU has won eight of the 10 all-time meetings between the programs.
Josie Curran and Madysen Williams provided the majority of the Limestone offense with 13 and 12 kills, respectively. Paige Gardella (24) and Abbey Baker (14) shared the setting duties to combine for 38 assists. Gardella also landed all four of the Saints' service aces in the match. Gabby Wessels notched a team-high 19 digs, just ahead of Gardella's 14. Madeline Yeager is credited with five block assists, taking part in nearly half of Limestone's stuffs.
Emiah Burrowes was vital in Tusculum's success, landing 22 kills on a .390 hitting percentage. Raeley Matthews also contributed 19 kills, followed by Carli Pigza (9) and Peyton Gash (7). Elise Carmichael dished out 32 assists, while her counterpart Catherine Clingan totaled 25. The two setters each notched a trio of aces as Carly Sosnowski rounded out the service column with one. Carmichael has now recorded at least one ace in 18 consecutive matches.
Defensively, Sosnowski led all participants with 24 digs. Burrowes and Matthews sealed their seventh double-doubles of the season with 11 and 10 digs, respectively. Lydia Collins led all Pioneers with three block assists at the net.
Limestone hit .168 as a team with 46 kills and 21 errors in 149 total attempts. Tusculum hit .255 with 67 kills, 25 errors, and 165 total attacks. The Pioneers led the match in assists (66-43), digs (68-63), and aces (7-4), while the Saints tallied more total blocks (11-5). TU's assist total is tied for ninth in the program record book for a five-setter.
Coming off of a 10-day layoff, Tusculum had a bit of rust in the gears, dropping the first set 25-19 to the Saints. Limestone started the match with back-to-back service aces and TU climbed back to tie the frame at 10. The Saints collected 10 points on unforced errors by the Pioneers and notched three blocks in the set win.
Tusculum got its groove back in set two. The Pioneers took over after the 7-7 mark, going on a five-point run. Carmichael highlighted the run with a pair of aces. TU forced another Saints timeout via four-score spurt to hold a 20-12 advantage, fueled by Burrowes on the service line and with two kills. Limestone made a fierce rally down 23-15, but Tusculum eked out the 25-22 victory by hitting .342. Sosnowski scooped up eight digs, just ahead of Clingan's five.
Set three was the most tightly contested of the match, featuring 12 ties and four lead changes. The advantage was never more than three by either side (8-5). Matthews registered six kills in the frame and Gash contributed three. The difference-maker was four blocks by the Saints, their highest set total of the match.
Down 2-1 in the match, Tusculum had its back against the wall and was in a must-win situation. The Pioneers fired .324, collected five kills from both Burrowes and Matthews, and had Sosnowski flying around for nine digs. Limestone seemed to get one point for every three that Tusculum scored. The Saints also fought off three set-points, but Matthews left no doubt with the final swing.
A decisive fifth set was needed to determine a winner on the Pioneers' Senior Night. Bailey Parker notched the first point on a thunderous kill, but Limestone rallied to lead 5-4. The set was tied up at 8-all before Tusculum went on a three-point run, aided by kills from Gash and Matthews. Gash also had a massive solo block to fully swing the momentum to TU. Burrowes clinched the win on a set from Carmichael. A major key to the set win was holding the Saints to a negative hitting percentage in the final frame.
Tusculum will be on the road for the final four matches of the regular season, beginning at Newberry. The contest against the Wolves has a new date and time, Wednesday (Nov. 3) at 6 p.m.
