GAFFNEY, S.C. — The Tusculum University women’s volleyball team got back in the win column with a five-set rally over Limestone on Tuesday (Oct. 22).
The Pioneers (8-11, 6-5 SAC) battled back to overtake the Saints (5-8, 4-6 SAC) by scores of 18-25, 25-17, 14-25, 25-19, 15-10.
For Limestone, Josie Curran recorded 14 kills, ahead of 12 by Jana Price. Jenna Szabelski tallied 20 assists, followed by Kamden Dalton with 16. Elena Hansen finished with six service aces, one more than Mia McMillen. McMillen also added 23 digs with Sarah Konovodoff contributing 22. Both Curran and Chloe Ratliff were credited with four total blocks.
McKayla Willey tied her career-high 17 kills on a .317 hitting percentage in the come from behind win. Addison McLarty added nine kills, followed by Martina Foster (8) and Olivia Crowl (8). Rounding out the scoring were Madison Adkins (4), Jordyn Roderick (2), Amiranee Au (1), and Whitney Thompson (1). Adkins dished out 42 assists, while Au landed four aces. The latter reached the 30-dig plateau for the first time in her career, tallying 34. Both Sofia De Los Mozos and Taylor Sanders notched 11 digs. Crowl led the front row defense with three total blocks (one solo, two assists).
Limestone hit .117 as a team with 48 kills and 27 errors on 179 total attempts. Tusculum hit .148 with 50 kills, 24 errors, and 176 total attacks. The Saints led the match in service aces (14-9) and total blocks (10-7), while the Pioneers tallied more assists (49-45) and digs (86-80).
Limestone took the first set of the night by holding Tusculum to a -.029 clip. The Saints added four aces in the frame, while McLarty and Willey combined for five kills. TU shot out to a 5-2 edge before the Saints rallied to take the lead for the remainder of the set. A 7-1 spurt toward the end of the frame was met by a 4-1 response by the Pioneers, but the home advantage was too great.
Tusculum tied the match with a second set win, battling through eight ties and two lead changes. Willey, Crowl, and McLarty combined for 10 kills as the Pioneers also landed five of their aces. TU started off the frame with a Sanders ace before Limestone swung the momentum into its favor. After a Pioneer timeout, the visitors went on a 7-1 run. The Saints battled back to be met by a 4-0 spurt. Tusculum continued to expand its advantage, closed out by a De Los Mozos service point.
Limestone took a 2-1 match lead after shutting down the Pioneers 25-14 in the third set. The middles of Crowl and Foster added three kills apiece, while Au contributed nine digs. TU claimed the first point once again but the teams tied for the final time at 9-all. The Saints took off with runs of four and five to put the frame out of hand.
Facing defeat, Tusculum turned on the jets, hitting .343 to Limestone’s .100. Willey (6), Foster (4), and Adkins (2) landed 12 kills, while the Saints battled back with four aces. The set saw four ties and three lead changes as TU took the lead for good at 15-14. Both Foster and Willey collected a pair of kills in the run, with the latter sending the match to a decisive fifth set.
Tusculum hit .333 while holding Limestone to a .083 hitting percentage in crunch time. Willey and Adkins added five kills as McLarty was a perfect 2-for-2. The Pioneer defense added two rejections at the net. The foes went back and forth at the beginning of the set before a four-point run forced a TU timeout. The Pioneers responded in every phase of the game, with kills, blocks, and aces, all within a seven-point span. Both of McLarty’s strikes came toward the end, while Adkins closed out the match with a solo block.
Tusculum continues its road trip with a quick turnaround to UVA Wise on Wednesday (Oct. 23). First serve between the Pioneers and Cavaliers is set for 7 p.m.
