GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum University women's volleyball team got its revenge on in-state Lincoln Memorial Wednesday night (Nov. 6), moving into a tie for sixth place in the South Atlantic Conference standings alongside LMU.
The Pioneers (11-12, 9-6 SAC) avenged a previous loss to the Railsplitters (15-7, 9-6 SAC) by scores of 25-22, 25-21, 19-25, 25-21.
Abigail Kesler led LMU with 12 kills on the night, while Lauren Pickett notched 36 assists. Braylynn Humphrey landed four service aces as five Railsplitters reached double-digits in digs: Lauren Jacob (16), Kristen Moehring (13), Humphrey (13), Pickett (12), and Megan Maier (11). Agata Bogdanska was credited with two total blocks (one solo, one assist).
Addison McLarty finished with a match-high 17 kills, leading McKayla Willey (12), Karris Oller (11), Martina Foster (11), Olivia Crowl (3), and Madison Adkins (1). Oller celebrated her birthday with a career-best in kills, attempts, and hitting percentage. Adkins dished out 42 assists as she and Amiranee Au both tallied a pair of aces. Au net a match-best 20 digs, followed by Macey Snapp's career-best 18 (her fourth-straight match in double figures) and Adkins' double-double-inducing 10. Willey and Foster each added three total blocks (two solo, one assist) to the winning effort.
Lincoln Memorial hit .142 as a team with 47 kills and 26 errors on 148 total attempts. Tusculum hit .240 with 55 kills, 20 errors, and 146 total attacks. The Railsplitters led the match in service aces (7-5) and digs (68-67), while the Pioneers tallied more assists (52-45) and total blocks (9-3).
Tusculum started the night strong, hitting .394 and landing 17 kills. Oller and Willey combined for 10 points, including the former's 5-for-9 effort. However, the opening set was the most tightly-contested at 10 ties and seven lead changes. The teams stayed within two scores of one another early on until Lincoln Memorial created some separation at 8-5. A 5-1 spurt by the Pioneers shot them into a 14-12 edge. TU maintained the slight lead until LMU matched the score at 18-all. The Railsplitters held a 22-21 advantage until Tusculum rattled off four-straight scores to take the match lead.
Lincoln Memorial was held to an even .000 hitting clip in the second set as TU led from start to finish. McLarty tallied seven kills, while both Foster and Willey added a pair of solo blocks. Tusculum kept the momentum flowing from the first set, winning the first four scores. The Railsplitters closed the gap to one, but the Pioneers extended the advantage with a 5-0 run (9-3). The home team stretched the lead to seven at 14-7 as LMU spent its final timeout. Down 24-15, the visitors went on a 6-0 run before Willey sent the Pioneers into the third set with a 2-0 match lead.
The Railsplitters refused to be swept, outhitting Tusculum .250 to .053, despite starting the set down 5-0. TU recorded four of its aces, while McLarty added four kills. The Pioneers held a sizable lead for the first half of the frame until LMU went on an 8-1 rally, featuring the lone tie and lead change. After taking over the edge at 17-16, Lincoln Memorial closed out the set on an 8-3 spurt.
Tusculum hit .367 in set four behind five kills by Foster. Oller went 2-for-2 and Crowl was 2-for-4. Snapp headed up the defense with nine digs. In the frame, the teams tied five times with a pair of lead swaps. TU and LMU were neck-and-neck as the visitors took the first lead of three at 10-7, with the Pioneers calling for a pause. Down 12-8, the home team rallied with a 10-2 spurt, causing the Railsplitters to burn both timeouts. Lincoln Memorial got back within one at 22-21 before Crowl and Foster went back-to-back and an attack error by LMU ended the contest.
Tusculum hosts Newberry on Friday (Nov. 8) for camo-themed Military Night in Pioneer Arena. First serve for the season's lone meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m.
