HICKORY, N.C. --- The Tusculum women's volleyball team made it six-straight sweeps after Saturday's (Nov. 4) victory at Lenoir-Rhyne. With the win, the Pioneers have overtaken the Bears for third place in the league standings.
The Pioneers (18-6, 14-3 SAC) tamed the Bears (19-9, 13-4 SAC) by scores of 25-23, 25-20, 25-12.
Kalee Peter led Lenoir-Ryne with 10 kills on a .429 hitting percentage, while Avery Dale dished out 29 assists. Emmaleigh Allen landed half of the Bear service aces with two as libero Lyndsie Warren finished with a team-high 14 digs. At the net, both Peter and Cheyenne Clonch are credited with two total blocks.
Emiah Burrowes and Aly Freeland net a match-best 11 kills, with the former firing on a .333 clip. Whitney Thompson reached double-digit strikes for the third time this season, on a stellar .368 rate. Olivia Crowl (5), Madison Adkins (3), and Martina Foster (3) finished out the scoring. Adkins distributed 35 assists and was one of six Pioneers to record an ace: Freeland (2), Caley Sosnowski, Amiranee Au, Burrowes, and Foster. Burrowes and Freeland collected double-doubles for the second time in as many days with 15 and 11 digs, respectively. As the libero, Sosnowski scooped up 14. Foster (6), Adkins (4), Thompson (3), and Crowl (2) were all credited with multiple blocks.
Lenoir-Rhyne hit .145 as a team with 33 kills and 17 errors on 110 total attempts. Tusculum hit .254 with 43 kills, 14 errors, and 114 total attacks. The Pioneers led the Bears in assists (39-31), service aces (7-4), digs (56-51), and total blocks (9-5).
LR looked firmly in control for most of the first set, shooting out to an 18-10 advantage. However, a combined 12 kills from Burrowes and Thompson, with Freeland adding her two aces in crunch time, proved to be the difference. TU rattled off an 8-1 run before a 4-1 spurt put the Bears within two of winning. Yet, six-straight scores from the Pioneers (all from Freeland and Burrowes) completed the improbable comeback.
TU continued where it left off, hitting .316 in set two, while adding three blocks. Once again, Lenoir-Rhyne started strong, leading 9-6 after an ace. TU rallied for five consecutive scores, including back-to-back kills by Adkins the setter. Tusculum managed a narrow lead for a short while before LR tied the frame at 15-all. The Pioneers recorded a 6-0 run with Au at the service line as Freeland notched three kills in a row during the stretch. Lenoir-Rhyne was unable to chip away at the lead, resulting in Tusculum's 2-0 match lead.
LR was held to a -.107 hitting percentage with only six kills behind five TU blocks. Foster had a hand in three of the rejections. Tusculum did not let the Bears get any sort of rhythm. After a 2-1 lead by Lenoir-Rhyne, the Pioneers stepped on the gas, starting with a 6-1 run. TU earned points by the fistful, negating any change for the Bears to get back in it. Thompson put the finishing touches on the win with a kill as the final point.
Tusculum closes out the regular season by hosting Mars Hill on Wednesday (Nov. 8). First serve between the Pioneers and Lions is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Greeneville.
