MARS HILL, N.C. — The Tusculum University women’s volleyball team fell at Mars Hill on Tuesday (Sept. 15) night to begin their road trip.
The Pioneers (5-4, 2-3 SAC) were defeated by the Lions (7-5, 2-2 SAC) by scores of 25-23, 15-25, 22-25, 17-25.
Mars Hill was led by 16 kills on a .395 hitting percentage from Megan Lee Prezio. Alyssa Kornegay dished out 29 assists, while both Ioana Poenaru and Caroline Barber landed a pair of service aces. Defensively, Poenaru scooped up 24 digs. Three Lions were credited with four total blocks each: Skylar Ogden, Morgan Yoder, and Pamela Guzman.
Addison McLarty (12) and Karris Oller (10) each reached double figures in kills for Tusculum. Rounding out the scoring were Jordan Moore (8), Mackenzie Land (8), Gracie Hibdon (7), Jaida Alvin (4), Grayson LaFrance (2), and Grace VanZwieten (1). Moore’s outing was a career-best on a .438 clip. Hibdon finished with 35 assists, while Maggie Kane notched a trio of aces. Mary Katherine Hall reached the 30-dig mark for the first time in her collegiate career. At the net, Moore tallied a pair of block assists.
Mars Hill hit .199 as a team with 52 kills and 17 errors on 176 total attempts. Tusculum hit .144 with 52 kills, 25 errors, and 187 total attacks. The Lions finished with more digs (93-85) and total blocks (9-3), while the Pioneers recorded more assists (51-48). The teams tied with five service aces.
Tusculum started strongly in the first set, overcoming a 16-14 deficit with a 5-0 run to take a 19-16 lead. Mars Hill rallied late to make it 24-23, but a Mars Hill attack error gave TUthe 25-23 victory.
MHU responded decisively in the second set. The Lions built an early 9-5 advantage and extended the margin to 15-8 before closing out the set, 25-15. Mars Hill’s offense hit .302 in the set while Tusculum hit .163.
The third set was tightly contested. The teams were tied at 15-15 and again at 16-16 before Mars Hill gradually pulled away. With the score 20-20, the Lions scored three-straight points to take a 23-20 lead, eventually winning 25-22.
MHU took control immediately in the fourth set, racing to a 6-1 lead and forcing an early Tusculum timeout. The Lions maintained their advantage throughout the set, leading 18-10 and later 21-11. Tusculum mounted a late rally but could not close the gap, as Mars Hill finished the match with a 25-17 victory.
Tusculum continues its extended road trip, stopping at league-leading Anderson on Friday (Sept. 18) at 6 p.m. The Trojans are receiving votes in this week’s national poll.
