GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum women's volleyball team remains perfect in South Atlantic Conference play after grinding out a five-set victory in a defense-laden matchup on Tuesday (Sept. 24) night.
The Pioneers (5-6, 3-0 SAC) rallied in the grudge match to overtake the Lions (4-6, 2-2 SAC) by scores of 23-25, 25-19, 16-25, 25-23, 15-10.
Mars Hill had three players reach double figures in the kill column: Ioana Poenaru (18), Katilyn Grant (11), and Jada Cannon (10). Alyssa Kornegay and Mackenzie Schmucker combined for 44 assists with 25 and 19, respectively. Both Nikkayla Stewart and Schmucker landed a pair of service aces. Libero Laela Jimenez registered 36 digs in the defensive back-and-forth as four of her teammates also collected double-digit digs: Cannon (20), Schmucker (16), Poenaru (16), and Kornegay (11). Both Grant and Stewart were credited with four blocks apiece.
Martina Foster shattered her career-high with 18 kills on a .341 hitting percentage. Addison McLarty, Whitney Thompson, and McKayla Willey each net 10 kills in the winning effort. The quartet were joined by Jordyn Roderick (6), Karris Oller (3), Olivia Crowl (1), Jordyn Anderson (1), and Madison Adkins (1) in the offensive column. Adkins dished out a career-best 50 assists, while four Pioneers tallied an ace: Amiranee Au, McLarty, Anderson, and Foster. For the third time this season, Au reached the 20-dig mark, upping her best to 27. Both Audrey Tribble and Anderson scooped up 22 digs, a collegiate-high for each. Adkins added 13, while Foster registered her first career double-double with 11 digs. The latter also led the match with five total blocks (one solo, four assists).
Mars Hill hit .135 as a team with 63 kills and 33 errors on 222 total attempts. Tusculum hit .164 with 60 kills, 24 errors, and 219 total attacks. The Lions led the match in assists (61-59), service aces (7-4), and digs (118-116), while the Pioneers tallied more total blocks (10-8).
As a team, the Pioneers finished in a tie for 10th-most attacks in a match. The dig total was the most in over a decade.
In total, the match featured 24 ties and 10 lead changes with the majority of the jostling occurring in the final three frames.
Tusculum earned the first six points of the match to start the night off on a good note. A 9-1 run by Mars Hill in the middle of the frame swung the momentum as the Lions led 18-15. After a well-timed pause, the Pioneers rattled off an 8-3 spurt. MHU rallied for the final four scores to take the match lead. McLarty and Thompson combined for nine kills as Au added nine digs.
TU responded by holding the Lions to an even .000 clip in the second set. MHU led the defensive effort with three blocks and 34 digs to Tusculum's solo block and 31 scoops. Willey was the highlight for the Pioneers, going 3-for-5 on her attempts. The foes were neck-and-neck until the home team broke loose, up 8-7. TU stretched the lead to six, thanks to three unforced errors by Mars Hill. The Pioneers maintained a sizable gap, finished out by an Oller kill.
Mars Hill hit .311 in the third set to take the 2-1 match lead. The Lions broke the 7-all tie and did not relent the advantage for the remainder of the frame, steadily stretching the edge. Most of the points for Tusculum in the latter half of the set came via errors by MHU.
TU did not have a strong start to the fourth set, despite winning the first two tallies. Mars Hill had a 9-1 run as a response, but Tusculum was determined to battle back. Down 19-11, the Pioneers mounted their comeback, needing their match-best output of 17 kills on a .280 rate. With Au and Tribble behind the line, the Black & Orange made a dent, aided by three-straight kills by Foster to overtake the lead. Mars Hill fought off a set-point, but Roderick sent the match to a fifth set.
Tusculum held Mars Hill to a -.040 behind four blocks, with three including Foster. Roderick continued her momentum in the decisive set, tallying a team-leading three kills. The foes traded scores, but the Lions pulled into the lead ahead of the 8-point switch (7-6). However, Tusculum was not going to make it easy. Three-straight points went the way of the Pioneers as Foster and Willey gave TU space on the board. Back-to-back rejections by the home defense provided a five-point cushion as Roderick closed out the match with authority.
Tusculum wraps up its homestand on Friday (Sept. 27) night against Carson-Newman. The rivalry match has a first serve time of 7 p.m.
