EMORY, Va. — The Tusculum University women’s volleyball team made quick work of Emory & Henry University on Tuesday (Nov. 11) night, needing just an hour to sweep away the Wasps.
The Pioneers (9-14, 7-10 SAC) stung the Wasps (3-24, 0-17 SAC) by scores of 25-18, 25-12, 25-16.
Both Gracyn Miller and Grace Duey notched seven kills for Emory & Henry. Zoie Pace dished out 14 assists and landed two service aces. Tori Boling was the lone Wasp to reach double-digit digs with 10. Both Miller and Haley Harnichar were credited with a pair of blocks.
Tusculum had a night to be remembered, starting with a career performance by Jaida Alvin. Her 22 kills were tied for the most in a three-setter in recorded history, with the record set in 2007 by Vivian Lacy. Victoria Church‘s 49 assists are the second-most in a three-setter in the record book, trailing only Nicki Light’s 1994 total.
Additionally for the Pioneers, Karris Oller landed 14 kills, followed by Mackenzie Land (7), Eliza Jewell Oliverius (5), Isabella Bianchin (5), and Church (1). Oliverius went an errorless 5-for-7, hitting .714. Church also contributed a pair of aces. Defensively, libero Mary Katherine Hall finished with a match-best 13 digs, followed by three teammates: Land (11), Maggie Kane (11), and McKenna Crawford with a career-high 10.
Emory & Henry hit .143 as a team with 27 kills and 13 errors on 98 total attempts. Tusculum hit .423 with 54 kills, 10 errors, and 104 total attacks. The Wasps led the match in total blocks (4-0), while the Pioneers tallied more assists (53-27) and digs (50-35). The teams tied with three service aces apiece.
As a group, Tusculum 53 assists are tied for the second-most in a three-set span on the list, and were the most in a three-setter since 1996. The 54 kills accounted for the seventh-highest total in a sweep and were the most since blanking E&H with 55 strikes last season.
TU notched 17 kills on a .424 hitting percentage to win the tightest set of the match. There were four ties and the only lead change was the Pioneers rally to take a 12-11 advantage. Emory & Henry tied the frame at 12-all before Tusculum went on a 7-0 run, highlighted by three consecutive kills by Alvin. The Wasps were unable to get the margin under six for the remainder of the set.
Church kicked off the second set with an ace and Tusculum never relented the lead. Emory & Henry managed five ties, but the Pioneers landed 17 kills to the Wasps’ six, holding the home team to a .026 hitting percentage in the frame. TU’s biggest break came in the form of a 10-1 spurt with at least one kill by four Pioneers, upping the advantage from 13-9 to 23-10.
Tusculum recorded 20 kills on a .459 clip to close out the match. All three ties and both lead changes occurred within the first 11 points of the frame. Down 5-4, the Pioneers responded with a 6-1 run. The Wasps got back within three at 16-14, but the TU offense took over. Back-to-back kills by Oller were quickly followed by a pair from Alvin. The latter bookended an Oliverius strike to cap off her career night.
Tusculum wraps up the regular season at Mars Hill on Friday (Nov. 14). First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
