HARTSVILLE, S.C. — The Tusculum University women’s volleyball team overcame adversity on Friday (Oct. 3) night to upset Coker on Homecoming Weekend. After arriving nearly two hours past the start time due to transportation issues, the Pioneers mustered a late night fight.
The Pioneers (5-7, 3-3 SAC) withstood the Cobras (8-7, 4-3 SAC) by scores of 18-25, 25-13, 27-25, 21-25, 15-12.
Cayla Gilmore recorded 17 kills for Coker, just ahead of Addie Bittner’s 11. Cheyenne Bird dished out 29 assists, while Anisten Meyers landed a pair of service aces. Both Peyton Tribolet (23) and Bittner (20) reached the 20-dig mark in the five-set thriller. McKay Kasper led the defense at the net with three block assists.
Six Pioneers notched at least one kill in the victory, including three in double-figures: Grace VanZwieten (15), Karris Oller (12), and Mackenzie Land (10). Isabella Bianchin landed an errorless eight kills on a .444 hitting percentage, with Jaida Alvin (5) and Adreana Lee (1) rounding out the scoring. Victoria Church distributed 41 assists, while Maggie Kane shocked the arena with eight aces. Kane tied the TU five-set ace record set back in 2002, which is also good for fourth-most in a match of any length. Five players for TU reached double-digit digs: Taylor Sanders (10), Land (11), Church (11), Mary Katherine Hall (10), and Mia Wave-Nelson (10). At the net, Bianchin assisted in five rejections.
Coker hit .154 as a team with 51 kills and 26 errors on 162 total attempts. Tusculum hit .117 with 51 kills, 30 errors, and 180 total attacks. The Cobras led the match in digs (80-76), while the Pioneers tallied more service aces (15-5) and assists (48-46). Tusculum’s ace number is the most in a match since 2023 and tied for third-most in a five-setter. The teams tied with eight blocks apiece.
After a 1:45 delay, the match started with Coker taking the first point in front of its home crowd. The opener featured four ties and two lead changes. The first was early as the Pioneers rattled off three-straight scores after the first point. Down 14-11, the Cobras went on a 9-0 run to separate themselves from the visitors. Coker outhit Tusculum .219 to -.028, while also racking up three blocks to TU’s zero.
Set two flipped the match on its head as Tusculum won by a 12-point margin. TU landed six aces in the frame (with no service errors) and added two blocks, while Coker did not record a point in either category. All three ties occurred within the first 15 points as the lone lead change came even earlier. Coker won the first two scores, but the Pioneers used three aces, including back-to-back by Sanders, to rally for a 6-3 edge. The Cobras responded with a 7-7 tie before Tusculum went on a 7-1 spurt. After a kill by the home team, the Black and Orange extended its lead with a 9-1 surge (23-10). Alvin provided the final two points for TU on kills.
For the only time in the match, the Pioneers struck first on a VanZwieten kill. This was easily the most-contested set on the night with 15 ties and six lead changes. Tusculum out-blocked (3-1) and out-killed (13-12) Coker. Throughout the entire frame, the largest lead by either side was three, with Coker leading 8-5 and TU responding with a 13-10 advantage. The Cobras geared up for a 2-1 match lead, riding a 24-22 set three lead, until Tusculum fought off several set-points. Oller added a kill before she and Lee combined for a block. A Coker attack error earned TU set-point but a service error tied the set at 25-all. Lee landed her lone kill with Land clinching the frame with an ace.
With four ties in the first 10 scores, the fourth set started out in a battle. However, down 8-6, Coker responded with a 9-1 rally that Tusculum could not bounce back from. The Cobras went on a 4-0 spurt to stretch the advantage to 19-11. TU attempted to close the gap but four late service errors proved to be the difference, sending the match to a decisive fifth set.
Coker wanted the win in front of its homecoming crowd, getting out to a 4-1 lead, but consecutive kills by Land and an error by the Cobras tied the final frame at 4-4. A kill by Oller broke the 6-6 tie, earning Tusculum the lead that it would never relent. TU was up 14-9 after Kane’s final ace, but Coker kept fighting for three scores. However, a service error clinched the match for the Pioneers. Both teams moved to 4-1 in five-set matches this season, as Tusculum handed Coker its first loss in the final frame.
Tusculum is home for fall break next week, starting with Mars Hill on Tuesday (Oct. 7) in a Pink Out. First serve between the mountain foes is scheduled for 6 p.m.
