HUNTSVILLE, Ala. --- The Tusculum University women's volleyball team was unlucky on Friday the 13th, dropping a pair of matches at the UAH Invitational.
The Black and Orange (2-5) finishes the UAH Invitational on Saturday (Sept. 14) with a regional contest against Emmanuel, scheduled for 1:15 PM (EST).
Match 1: Alabama Huntsville 3, Tusculum 0
The Pioneers started off the second day of the tournament with a three-set loss to the hosting Chargers (4-0) by scores of 25-14, 25-16, 25-18.
Alabama Huntsville was led by 11 kills from Autumn Mayes, while Mary Grace Bundrant landed nine kills on 11 swings for a .818 hitting percentage. Savannah Rutledge tallied 19 assists, followed by 13 from Ashleigh Murr. Both Mayes and Hailey Holshouser recorded three service aces each. Defensively, Kayla Ward added three block assists as Mayes (16) and Tatiana Bonilla (14) reached double figures in digs.
Tusculum spread the offense in the first match of the day with seven Pioneers notching at least two kills: Martina Foster (6), Addison McLarty (4), Whitney Thompson (4), McKayla Willey (4), Katherine Perrin (2), Olivia Crowl (2), and Karris Oller (2) in her debut. Madison Adkins dished out 19 assists, while McLarty and Audrey Tribble were responsible for the aces. Adkins and Jordyn Anderson finished with a team-best nine digs, ahead of libero Taylor Sanders' eight. At the net, McLarty and Foster were credited with two blocks each.
UAH finished the match with a .333 hitting percentage with 49 kills and 13 attack errors in 108 total attempts. Tusculum totaled 24 kills, 13 errors, and 95 swings for a .116 hitting clip. The Chargers led the Pioneers in assists (43-24), service aces (9-2), digs (51-38), while the teams tied with five total blocks apiece.
Match 2: No. 12 Ferris State 3, Tusculum 0
TU suffered its second match of the day to nationally-ranked Ferris State by scores of 25-23, 25-21, 25-17.
FSU garnered 18 kills on a .500 clip from Olivia Henneman-Dallape, aided by 10 kills from Syann Fairfield. Kaylee Maat dished out 37 assists and went 6-for-8 on swings, a .750 percentage. Corrie Wisser tallied three aces, while Claire Nowicki and Leah Bylut notched eight digs apiece. In the front row, Maat assisted in three blocks.
McLarty led TU with nine kills, followed by Foster (6), Crowl (5), Thompson (4), Willey (4), Tribble (2), Adkins (2), Anderson (1), and Sanders (1). Adkins distributed 22 assists as Tribble added a pair of aces. Sanders scooped up nine digs, while Crowl, McLarty, and Foster had a hand in two blocks each.
Ferris State finished the contest with a .370 hitting percentage with 50 kills and 13 attack errors in 100 total attempts. Tusculum totaled 34 kills, eight errors, and 82 swings for a season-best .317 hitting clip. The Bulldogs led the match in assists (43-31), service aces (8-6), and digs (35-33), while the Pioneers tallied more total blocks (5-4).
