GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University women's volleyball team will not be able to ease into a new season, as the Pioneers will hit the ground running against top-tier talent. TU will host archrival Carson-Newman on Tuesday (Aug. 30), before trekking to the tough Tampa Classic (Sept. 2-3).
Fourth-year head coach Danielle Marante returns 16 student-athletes from the banner 2021 squad, who finished the season 20-6 (15-3 SAC). Thanks to the program's first South Atlantic Conference Championship, the Pioneers reached the NCAA postseason for the first time since 2013, which was the sixth appearance overall. Marante brings in 11 (seven freshmen and four transfers) to add depth and vie for starting roles.
THIS WEEK
The Pioneers begin their 2022 season with a four-match week, all against highly-touted foes. At the Tampa Classic, TU will be hosted by the reigning national champion and top team in the nation, with the remaining two teams receiving votes in the AVCA preseason poll.
The battle with the Carson-Newman Eagles opens the home, conference, and division slate. Tusculum swept the season-series over Carson-Newman in 2021 to take hold of the all-time lead 32-30, with both wins coming in tight five-set contests. C-N finished last season with an 18-14 (11-7 SAC) mark and was bounced from the SAC Tournament as the fifth-seed in the quarterfinal by eventual champion Lenoir-Rhyne. Carson-Newman will have four matches under its belt, courtesy of the Ray Thrasher Classic hosted by Trevecca Nazarene, before facing Tusculum.
Marante will be returning to her alma mater, Tampa, to square off against her former coach, the legendary Chris Catanach. The host Spartans are coming off of the fourth national title in program history, winning the championship on their home court in straight-sets. Tampa racked up a 34-2 overall record, including an astounding 19-1 finish in Sunshine State Conference play. Both losses came against nationally-ranked foes, wrapping up the year on a 21-match winning streak. TU and UT have played only once, with Tampa claiming the 2014 matchup in three sets. Tampa is set to compete in four matches at the Queens Fall Classic before returning home to host its own event.
The Wheeling Cardinals, out of the Mountain East Conference, tallied a 29-6 (15-1 MEC) mark, with 13 sweeps in their conference matches. Earning the automatic bid by virtue of winning the MEC tournament title, Wheeling also earned hosting rights for the NCAA Atlantic Region Championship, but fell in the final. The Pioneers squared up against the Cardinals in 2013, but fell in the neutral site match 3-1. The Tampa event will mark Wheeling's second-straight weekend in the Sunshine State after a three-day stint at the West Florida Invitational.
Nicknamed the Mavericks, Colorado Mesa crosses into the Eastern Time Zone for the weekend festivities at Tampa. Out of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, CMU tallied a 21-7 (15-3 RMAC) record to earn the No. 3 seed in the tournament and reached the semifinals. Earning a berth in the NCAA South Central Regional, the Mavs dropped a tight four-set contest in the opener. This is set to be the first meeting between the respective programs of Tusculum and Colorado Mesa. CMU will remain in the Centennial State to kick off their 2022 campaign, taking part in a classic hosted by Colorado School of Mines.
STREAMING/TICKETS
Links to live stats and video for Tusculum University athletic events can be found through tusculumpioneers.com.
By following this link (flosports.tv/sac), SAC fans can sign up for an annual subscription to FloSports at a reduced rate. Also, anyone who subscribes using a SAC member or associate member institution domain (.edu) e-mail address will be eligible for an even greater discount.
Tusculum University Athletics has entered a partnership with HomeTown Ticketing as the official digital ticketing provider for Pioneer home athletics events. Working with HomeTown Ticketing gives fans the ability to purchase tickets for TU home athletic events online for a touchless ticketing experience. Fans may purchase tickets online for TU home athletic events at www.TusculumPioneers.com/information/tickets.
Hometown Ticketing allows fans to print tickets at home or use mobile entry tickets at the gate. Tickets purchased at home are easily shared with friends and family.
Current Pioneer Club members may continue to use their membership cards to be granted admission for ticketed home athletic events.
For information about tickets, please contact Assistant Athletic Director Jenna Restivo at jrestivo@tusculum.edu or (423) 636-7291. For information about becoming a member of the Pioneer Club, please reach out to Jamila Thombs at jthombs@tusculum.edu or (423) 636-7293.
MEET THE TEAM
Earlier this month, the SAC Preseason All-Conference teams were announced, with four Pioneers earning a nod. Emiah Burrowes and Carly Sosnowski remained on the first team, while Carli Pigza and Elise Carmichael collected second team laurels.
Hailing from Wesley Chapel, North Carolina, Burrowes enters her senior season ranked third in career kills per set (3.24) and fourth in attempts per set (8.61) in Tusculum's record book. Accolades rolled in for the outside hitter, earning AVCA All-America honorable mention, AVCA All-Region, D2CCA Southeast Region Player of the Year, D2CCA All-Region first team, SAC Player of the Year, and conference first team laurels. Burrowes became the first student-athlete in program history to win both SAC Freshman and Player of the Year during their Pioneer career. She recorded a team-best 311 kills on a .260 hitting percentage, eight assists, 18 service aces, 217 digs (third-most on the team), and 28 total blocks (three solo, 25 assists). Burrowes now holds career-highs of 23 kills and 19 digs, while reaching double-digit kills in 17 matches and had nine contests with digs in the double-figures.
Sosnowski, a native of Oxford, Florida, enters her fourth season as a Pioneer ranked 10th in program history in career digs (1,055), while her digs per set rate of 4.86 is good for third all-time. Last season, the graduate libero racked up AVCA All-America honorable mention, AVCA All-Region, second team league honors, and was tabbed to the conference all-tournament team. Sosnowski played in all 97 sets, racking up three kills, 73 assists, 23 service aces, and 493 digs. On pace to become a three-time graduate of Tusculum, she recorded double-digit digs in 25-of-26 matches and upped her single-match career-best to 31 digs.
Pigza, a resident of Fort Mill, South Carolina, enters her fifth year at TU with the 12th-highest career hitting percentage. She played in every set on her way to earning her place on the NCAA Southeast Region All-Tournament Team, SAC second team, and the season-opening IUP All-Tournament Team. Pigza totaled 272 kills (second-most on the team) on a .246 hitting percentage, three assists, 54 digs, and a team-leading 42 total blocks (six solo, 36 assists). She recorded a career-best 19 kills and landed double-digit kills in 16 matches, including five consecutive to end the season.
Carmichael, of Avon, Indiana, has also made her mark in program history. The senior setter already ranks 10th in both career assists (1,339) and service aces (109), while sitting just shy of the aces per set record at 0.50. Carmichael is only the third student-athlete in program history to be credited with over 1,000 assists and 100 aces during their collegiate stint, joining Nicki Light (1993-95) and Libby Mauck (1998-2001). She reset the season aces per set record (0.65), which was good for second-most across Division II. Carmichael tallied three kills, a team-high 581 assists, 60 service aces (fourth-most in a TU single season), and 165 digs to earn SAC third team honors in 2021. She tied her collegiate-best 37 assists, notched double-digit assists in 25-straight matches, dug up a career-high 14 digs, and landed at least one ace in 23-of-26 matches to highlight her productivity.
Coming alongside the quartet are 12 returners.
A native of Olive Hill, Kentucky, Madison Adkins was used in a limited capacity as the Pioneers' third-string setter. The sophomore saw action in 29 sets across 12 matches, totaling two kills, 151 assists, three aces, 42 digs, and one block assist. Adkins notched a high of 29 assists in her collegiate debut, while her season-high of seven digs was reached the following day. Adkins recorded double-digit assists in seven of her appearances.
Homegrown Jules Aiken did not enter the Pioneer rotation in her first indoor season, but will look to make her mark in 2022 as a sophomore defensive specialist.
Knoxville native Amiranee Au made her only appearances of her first year at the season-opening tournament in Pennsylvania, three sets over two matches as a defensive specialist.
Raven Chance (Leoma, Tenn.) played in 60 sets across 22 matches as a middle blocker. In her second season at TU, she recorded 65 kills, two assists, seven digs, and 39 total blocks. Her eight solo stuffs were a team-high, while her total was enough for second-most on the squad. Chance notched a career-best 11 kills in the SAC semifinal match against the eventual champion. She was credited with a collegiate-high seven total blocks in the IUP Tournament finale, all of them assists.
Lauren Collins of Knoxville was primarily used as a serving substitute during her freshman campaign. She competed in six sets across five matches, landing an ace in her collegiate debut against the rival Eagles.
An in-state product of Seymour, Maddie Creswell is battling to take the collegiate floor as a sophomore defensive specialist.
Jamianne Foster also is fighting for her chance to debut for the Pioneers. The Hickory, North Carolina native is listed as a sophomore right side hitter.
Hailing from Lexington, Kentucky, Peyton Gash appeared in 75 sets across the first 20 matches of the season. The now-junior notched 114 kills, three assists, 23 digs, and 20 total blocks. Gash hit .538 against Catawba with eight kills and one error on 13 swings. As a right side hitter, she upped her career bests to four digs, three block assists, and two assists across the 2021 span.
Abbie Holt was used primarily as a defensive specialist or server during her sophomore season, appearing in 26 sets across 14 matches. The Sunrise, Florida native totaled one assist, five service aces, and 17 digs. Holt registered a collegiate-best five digs in a conference match, while her first career assist and ace occurred in the season opener.
Camryn Hughes (Charleston, W.Va.) is preparing to take on a bigger role this season as she only played in three matches in 2021. The junior outside hitter totaled one kill, one assist, and three digs. Hughes also made her first career start at Mars Hill.
Bailey Parker, a junior from Gainesville, Florida, took part in 55 sets across 18 matches. The middle blocker amassed 80 kills on a .294 hitting percentage, two service aces, 20 digs, and 35 total blocks (six solo, 29 assists). Parker reached double-digit kills for the first time in her career (10) at Mars Hill on a .318 rate. She is also credited with a collegiate-best six total blocks (one solo, five assists) against the rival Eagles, one of 10 matches in which Parker notched multiple blocks.
Morgan Smith of nearby Elizabethton entered a trio of matches in her second season at TU. The right side hitter added a kill, three digs, and a block assist to the Pioneer effort, with nearly all of her statistics coming versus the Lions.
New to Tusculum, but not college volleyball, are four transfers: Isabella Biesterfeld, Taylor Sanders, Hayley Stull, and Lauren Xayavong.
Biesterfeld comes to TU from Western Illinois University, spending two seasons as a Leatherneck. The Cedar Lake, Indiana native played 14 sets over the course of nine matches, recording seven kills, four digs, and four block assists. An outside hitter by trade, Biesterfeld had a career outing versus Valparaiso last year with six kills, three digs, and two block assists.
Sanders returned to her home state of Tennessee after spending a season at Jacksonville. The outside hitter/defensive specialist from Murfreesboro participated in 16 matches for the Dolphins, totaling one assist, five aces, and eight digs. Sanders notched highs of three aces and two digs in her 30 sets played.
Stull is no stranger to the SAC after she sported a Lenoir-Rhyne uniform as a freshman. As a Bear, the Mooresville, North Carolina product played in seven matches throughout the COVID-shortened spring season. Stull recorded 12 kills, five digs, and 20 total blocks (five solo, 15 assists) in Hickory. She spent her sophomore year at the junior college level for Catawba Valley. The middle blocker tallied 144 kills, 11 assists, 25 digs, 80 total blocks (four solo, 76 assists) across 32 contests.
Xayavong is familiar with the Appalachia, hailing from Hickory and playing at Lees-McRae. The libero/defensive specialist was a standout performer for the Bobcats, finishing with three kills, 131 assists, 44 service aces, and 930 digs across 218 sets and 64 matches. Xayavong has a single-match best of 41 digs, while her 555 digs was second-most in Conference Carolinas in the fall of 2021.
Seven freshmen will vie for playing time in their first season at the collegiate level.
Isabella Bianchin graduated from Carmel Christian School in Matthews, North Carolina. The middle blocker was a two-time team MVP for the Cougars.
Setter Samantha Bunch attended her hometown high school in Romeoville, Illinois, earning four varsity letters for the Spartans. She was named to seven all-tournament and three all-conference teams, while collecting last season's MVP honors. Bunch finished her career with 505 kills, 68 service aces, 51 total blocks (16 solo, 35 assists), 355 digs, 274 assists, and 136 receptions across 186 sets played.
Martina Foster joins her older sister Jamianne on the TU roster. The middle blocker from Hickory, North Carolina lettered at Fred T. Foard High School, where she was a back-to-back state champion. As the offensive player of the year during her senior campaign, the younger Foster racked up all-conference, conference player of the year, all-state, coaches association all-state, and regional all-America laurels. She also tallied all-conference first team and all-state honorable mention in 2020.
Another pick up from the Sunshine State, Christina Jackson is a second generation Pioneer. Both of her parents were Tusculum student-athletes: Mom (Donna nee Martin) played volleyball from 1994-98 and Dad (Christopher) played football from 1998-2001. Jackson played four years, including two as a captain, for the Yulee High Hornets. She holds the school record for career kills (860) on a .231 hitting percentage, adding 191 blocks, 92 aces, 316 digs, and 33 assists. During her time, the Hornets were consecutive district champions, three-time regional quarterfinalists, and district runner-ups.
Riley Rushing (Snowmass Village, Colo.) is listed as an outside hitter coming out of Aspen High School. The two-sport athlete, volleyball and basketball, was twice named the team most valuable player and an all-conference performer. Rushing also brought in all-state honorable mention and finished second in the 3A Western Slope in 2021. As a senior, she finished with a team-best 183 kills for the Skiers, including a school-record 21 in a single match.
Abbeville, South Carolina native McKayla Willey lettered four seasons at Greenwood Christian School. The Hawks finished second in the state in 2021-22, with Willey tacking on all-region and all-star accolades.
South Greene High School product Addison Williams remained in Pioneer Nation with her commitment to Tusculum. She lettered four seasons in both volleyball and basketball for the Rebels. Williams notched two all-state laurels, team MVP, and a 2021 state championship at the nearby school.
