GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University women's volleyball team avenged its recent loss to the University of Virginia's College at Wise with a four-set victory on Friday (Nov. 1) night.
The Pioneers (10-12, 8-6 SAC) got revenge on the Cavaliers (10-13, 4-10 SAC) by scores of 25-19, 23-25, 25-15, 25-23.
UVA Wise was led by Kaylee Scarce's 11 kills, while Lily Gutierrez led the setters with 15 assists. Four Cavaliers landed a service ace: Scarce, Piper Suddeth, Abigail Curtis, and Gutierrez. The libero Curtis finished with a match-high 29 digs. Cassidy Farley headed up the net defense with six block assists.
For Tusculum, McKayla Willey registered 16 kills, ahead of 14 by Martina Foster. Five other Pioneers notched kills: Addison McLarty (7), Karris Oller (5), Olivia Crowl (4), Madison Adkins (2), and Whitney Thompson (2). Adkins dished out 39 assists, while Foster landed a trio of aces. Taylor Sanders finished with a team-best 19 digs, followed by Amiranee Au (17), Macey Snapp (15), and Adkins (12). Crowl was credited with five block assists, as Willey totaled four rejections (two solo, two assists).
UVA Wise hit .011 as a team with 40 kills and 38 errors on 176 total attempts. Tusculum hit .148 with 50 kills, 25 errors, and 169 total attacks. The Pioneers led the Cavaliers in assists (50-39), service aces (5-4), digs (86-85), and total blocks (10-9).
Tusculum started out the night with its best hitting clip of the match at .227, holding UVA Wise to .059. TU was well-rounded with 16 kills, 27 digs, and three blocks, as Foster accounted for seven of the strikes. The Pioneers won the first point via a Cavalier error and never relented the lead, allowing just three ties. One of Foster's kills provided the final tiebreaker at 7-7 as Tusculum went on a 5-0 run. UVA Wise got back within a point at 13-12, but the Pioneers did not break. A 7-1 spurt by the home squad earned a set-point. The Cavaliers fought for two more scores until Foster clinched the early match lead.
UVA Wise hit -.029, but managed a late set rally to tie the match. Willey tallied six kills, Foster added two aces, and Crowl and Thompson teamed up for two blocks. The teams tied twice before a late set lead change. Tusculum got out to a 3-0 start before a 4-1 surge brought the Cavaliers back to a one-point deficit. TU responded from a timeout with four-straight scores (12-7). The Pioneers led by six (19-13) before UVA Wise started its climb. After a timeout called by the visitors, the Cavaliers rattled off five in a row. Down 23-21, UVA Wise scored four unanswered points to overcome the Pioneers.
Tusculum responded well, hitting .209 while only allowing their foes to hit -.068. Willey and Oller combined for seven kills, while Crowl had a hand in three of the Pioneers' four rejections. The set featured six ties and three lead changes, most of which occurred in the early going. The teams jostled for positioning before UVA Wise held a 9-5 edge. TU rallied to square the set at 10-all. After the final tie at 11-11, Tusculum began its run, winning 14 of the next 18 scores, including a 7-1 stretch.
The Cavaliers nearly forced a fifth set, despite being down 18-11. In the most-tightly contested frame of the night, featuring seven ties and four lead changes, the TU offense consisted of five Pioneers: Foster, Willey, Crowl, Oller, and McLarty. The foes stayed within two scores of one another until Tusculum broke off a 5-0 run at 10-all. UVA Wise used both timeouts as TU led 17-11. The Cavaliers used a pair of four-point spurts to get within one at 21-20. The score was tied once again at 23-23, before a service error by the visitors and Foster closing out the night with a perfectly placed kill.
Tusculum hosts Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday (Nov. 6) for an "Orange Out" in Pioneer Arena. First serve for the in-state rematch is scheduled for 7 p.m.
