LIONS CLAIM SEASON SERIES OVER TUSCULUM

MARS HILL, N.C. --For the third consecutive meeting, Tusculum and Mars Hill women’s volleyball needed a decisive fifth set to determine a winner. Unfortunately, the Lions have come out victorious in the last two contests, sweeping the 2022 regular season series.

On Tuesday (Oct. 4), the Pioneers (6-7, 6-4 SAC) were edged out by the Lions (13-2, 8-2 SAC) by scores of 22-25, 25-19, 24-26, 25-18, 12-15.

Sarah Goddard led the home team with 24 kills on a .300 average, followed by Grace Lilly’s 12 and Jana Cuk’s 10. Jordan Schmucker tallied 45 assists, while all four service aces were credited to different players: Goddard, Lilly, Cuk, and Addison Easter. Laela Jimenez finished with a team-high 29 digs, joined in double-figures by Allison Raines with 14. Goddard, Schmucker, and Lilly completed their doubledoubles with 20, 19, and 14 digs, respectively. At the net, Cuk racked up four total blocks (one solo, three assists), ahead of Timmons Yates with three block assists.

Emiah Burrowes upped her career-high to 26 kills, her third 20-kill match of the season, tying her for eighth-most in a Tusculum five-set match. Her 65 attempts put her in the top-10. Peyton Gash (11), Martina Foster (11), and Carli Pigza (10) all joined her with double-digit kills. Elise Carmichael and Madison Adkins were the primary TU setters in the contest, racking up 28 and 17 assists, respectively. Carmichael landed a match-best two aces, with Burrowes and Adkins rounding out the service scoring. Carly Sosnowski flew around the back row to record 37 digs. Carmichael (14), Adkins (13), and Amiranee Au (10) also reached the 10-dig plateau. The latter two’s totals are new career-bests. Raven Chance is credited with a collegiate-best eight total blocks (two solo, six assists) to lead the Pioneer defense. Gash registered four block assists as Foster and Adkins finished with three apiece.

In the program record book, Carmichael is now fourth all-time in career service aces (130) and seventh in career assists (1,604). Sosnowski is four digs out from fifth place with 1,319 in her years at Tusculum.

Mars Hill hit .159 as a team with 58 kills and 26 errors on 201 total attempts. Tusculum hit .175 with 65 kills, 28 errors, and 211 total attacks. The Pioneers led the Lions in assists (60-50), digs (107105), and total blocks (117), while each team recorded four service aces.

Tusculum returns to Pioneer Arena for a threematch stint. TU will host the Catawba Indians (3-11, 1-6 SAC) on Saturday (Oct. 8) at an updated time of 12 p.m. The Indians are on a four-match skid headed into the MHU/TU weekend series.