SALISBURY, N.C. — The Tusculum University women’s volleyball team got back in the win column on Tuesday (Oct. 29) night with its ninth-straight victory over Catawba.
The Pioneers (9-12, 7-6 SAC) survived a five-set comeback attempt by the Catawba Indians (3-15, 1-10 SAC) by scores of 25-23, 23-25, 25-21, 19-25, 15-8.
Kelcie Love led Catawba with 17 kills, ahead of Lauren Bodell (13) and Sofia Beard (12). Haley Moffett dished out 48 assists, while Rachel Gonzales landed a pair of service aces. Riley Hill finished with a match-high 25 digs as Sydney Wattles headed up the net defense with six total blocks (two solo, four assists).
Addison McLarty dominated with 20 kills on a .314 hitting percentage, tying her career-best output. Martina Foster and McKayla Willey added 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Madison Adkins came four kills shy of a triple-double with six, followed by Olivia Crowl (4), Whitney Thompson (4), and Macey Snapp. Adkins distributed 41 assists, while Sofia De Los Mozos and Amiranee Au contributed two aces each. Five Pioneers were credited with double-digit digs: Au (18), Taylor Sanders (17), Snapp (17), De Los Mozos (12), and Adkins (12). Willey earned five blocks to her name (four solo, one assist) to reject her collegiate-best in back-to-back matches.
Catawba hit .128 as a team with 58 kills and 33 errors on 195 total attempts. Tusculum hit .166 with 58 kills, 25 errors, and 199 total attacks. The Catawba Indians led the match in assists (56-53) and digs (96-87), while the Pioneers held the advantage in service aces (7-5). The teams tied with 11 total blocks.
The first set of the night was as close as could be, but only resulted in two ties and one lead changes, all within the first seven points. Catawba claimed the first two scores, with Tusculum responding in kind. The score was tied at 3-all before a Catawba Indian attack error handed the Pioneers the lead for the remainder of the frame. McLarty went 4-for-8, including starting a 7-1 spurt to build a comfortable lead. However, Catawba made a 6-1 run to bring the contest back to a two-point margin. Consecutive kills by Thompson, two kills from McLarty, and one from both Willey and Adkins helped TU escape the late push.
Set two was the most fiercely contested, featuring 13 ties and five lead changes. Both teams jostled for positioning before a four-point spurt by TU gave a bit of breathing room, including two kills by Willey and a Foster ace. Catawba responded with a 5-1 rally to tie the frame at 12-all. The foes traded chunk plays until the home team took the lead for the final time at 21-20. The Pioneers fought off two set-points, but the North Carolina team tied the match, despite five kills by McLarty in the frame.
Tusculum put on a defensive showcase in the third set, using 26 digs and five blocks. Catawba managed a 6-4 advantage early on, causing a TU timeout. The Pioneers came out of the pause with a block, an ace, and a kill to pull ahead 7-6. The home team tied the frame at 8-8 before five-straight TU scores, including three errors and two McLarty kills. Catawba came within a point (18-17), but Tusculum responded with a 6-1 spurt out of the timeout, highlighted by back-to-back De Los Mozos aces. The Catawba Indians fought off three set-points but Foster’s third kill of the frame swung the match lead to the Pioneers.
For the first time in the match, Tusculum took a 2-0 advantage, before extending it to a 5-1 edge. However, Catawba wanted to extend the night, using a 10-2 rally to force TU into using both timeouts. Down 11-7, the Pioneers rattled off three-straight, including back-to-back strikes from McLarty. Catawba continued to push, growing the lead to seven (24-17). After two set-points, Catawba closed out Tusculum and sent the match to a decisive fifth set.
The fifth set was all Tusculum. The first half of the frame was a back and forth battle which saw five ties and a lead change. TU saved its best for last, hitting .304 while holding Catawba to a -.040 clip. Foster and McLarty were a combined 7-for-10, with Willey adding the remaining pair. Tied at 6-all, the Pioneers used a six-point run to put the set out of reach, with Catawba calling both timeouts in the span. The three Pioneers closed out the match with one more kill to their credit.
Tusculum is now in the homestretch, as four of the five remaining matches take place in Pioneer Arena. The Pioneers seek revenge on UVA Wise with a visit by the Cavaliers this Friday (Nov. 1) at 7 p.m.
