HICKORY, N.C. --- The Tusculum University women's volleyball team closed out its 2024 season on Tuesday (Nov. 19) night at Lenoir-Rhyne in the South Atlantic Conference quarterfinals.

The seventh-seeded Pioneers (13-14 SAC) were swept by the second-seeded Bears (24-5) by scores of 25-21, 25-20, 25-16.

Kathy Peter powered LR with nine kills on a .533 hitting percentage. Rachel Wildermuth led the setters with 21 assists, while Brooke Aeschliman landed six service aces. Hadley Prince finished with 12 digs as the Bears' libero. Kayli Cleaver headed up the defense at the net with six block assists.

McKayla Willey finished with a match-high 10 kills, followed by Martina Foster (5) and Olivia Crowl (5). Addison McLarty (4), Karris Oller (3), Jordyn Roderick (2), and Madison Adkins (1) rounded out the scoring. Adkins dished out 27 assists, while four Pioneers recorded an ace: Adkins, Foster, Macey Snapp, and Maddie Creswell. Defensively, Amiranee Au scooped up a team-best 10 digs as both Willey and Crowl were credited with four blocks.

Lenoir-Rhyne hit .281 as a team with 41 kills and 14 errors on 96 total attempts. Tusculum hit .135 with 30 kills, 17 errors, and 96 total attacks. The Bears led the Pioneers in assists (41-29), service aces (10-4), digs (45-37), and total blocks (8-7).