NEWBERRY, S.C. — The Tusculum University women’s volleyball team rebounded from two sets down to reverse sweep Newberry on Saturday (Sept. 19) afternoon.
The Pioneers (6-5, 3-4 SAC) fought off the Wolves (9-4, 2-4 SAC) by scores of 23-25, 27-25, 25-16, 25-17, 15-11.
Maggie Helle finished with a match-high 21 kills to lead Newberry’s offense. Carley Raleigh (27) and Lexi Duplessis (21) combined for 48 assists. Both Helle and Raleigh landed a pair of service aces. Defensively, Anna Schneider and Hailey Clayworth scooped up 22 and 21 digs, respectively. At the net, three Wolves account for four blocks: Emma Coffman, Schneider, and Taylor Blandford.
Four Pioneers reached double figures in kills: Karris Oller (15), Mackenzie Land (14), Addison McLarty (12), and Jaida Alvin (11). Rounding out the scoring were Gracie Hibdon (9), Jordan Moore (9), Grace VanZwieten (1), Sadie Roach (1), and Mary Katherine Hall (1). Hibdon dished out a career-best 57 assists, while Maggie Kane added three aces. Hall tied her career-high 30 digs, followed by Hibdon’s 20 and Roach’s 14, both collegiate-bests. At the net, Alvin, Hibdon, McLarty, and Moore were credited with a pair of blocks.
Newberry hit .171 as a team with 56 kills and 23 errors on 193 total attempts. Tusculum hit .246 with 73 kills (tied for the sixth-most in a five-setter), 25 errors, and 195 total attacks. The Pioneers finished with more assists (69-52), service aces (6-5), and digs (91-77), while the Wolves tallied more blocks (9-6). TU’s 69 assists rank the fifth-most in a match all-time.
Newberry controlled the opening two sets, taking the first 25–23 before edging Tusculum 27–25 in a back-and-forth second set. Tusculum nearly erased a 19–14 deficit late in the second, pulling even at 24-24, but Newberry closed out the set with consecutive points.
Tusculum responded emphatically in the third set, racing to a 25–16 victory. The Pioneers built an early 9–4 advantage and extended the margin to 14–6 before maintaining control throughout. Tusculum hit .387 in the set while limiting Newberry to .172.
The momentum continued in the fourth set. Tusculum jumped ahead 7–2 and never trailed, eventually winning 25–17 to force a deciding fifth set. McLarty was particularly effective, recording five kills in the set, while Oller added four.
In the deciding fifth set, the teams battled to a 9–9 tie. The Pioneers then scored six of the final eight points to complete the comeback. Oller landed four kills on a .444 clip in the final frame. The match ended when a Newberry attack error was blocked by Hibdon. The Pioneers won the fifth set 15–11.
Tusculum heads to Virginia next weekend to face Emory & Henry (Sept. 25) and UVA Wise (Sept. 26). First serve against the Wasps is scheduled for 7 p.m.
