GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum women's volleyball team was victorious in its home debut under head coach Hannah Barrett, defeating Emory & Henry inside Pioneer Arena. TU extends its all-time lead over the Wasps to 9-1.
The Pioneers (4-6, 2-0 SAC) blew past the Wasps (1-8, 0-3 SAC) in straight-sets: 25-22, 25-11, 26-24.
Emory & Henry got eight kills from Haley Harnichar to head up the offense, while Zoie Pace tallied 13 assists. Avery Zuckerwar landed a trio of service aces from behind the line. Libero Libby Bickelhaupt dove across the court to collect 18 digs as Harnichar had a hand in seven of the eight blocks for the Wasps.
Addison McLarty etched her name in the Tusculum record book with 20 kills on 52 attempts, tying her for third most in their respective categories. Martina Foster had an efficient night, notching 10 kills on a .474 hitting percentage. Both Whitney Thompson and McKayla Willey added nine kills, hitting over .360. Olivia Crowl (3), Madison Adkins (2), Jordyn Anderson (1), and Karris Oller (1) rounded out the scoring. Adkins dished out 38 assists, while Foster (2) and Amiranee Au (1) landed the Pioneer aces. Au was solid in the back row, scooping up a career-best 20 digs. Anderson was also a fixture with 13 digs. Three Pioneers contributed in the blocking column: McLarty, Foster, and Crowl.
Emory & Henry hit .090 as a team with 26 kills and 16 errors on 111 total attempts. Tusculum hit .310 with 55 kills, 15 errors, and 129 total attacks. The Pioneers led the match in assists (49-24) and digs (62-50), while the Wasps tallied more service aces (5-3) and total blocks (8-2).
TU also made its mark in the program records. The kills total is tied for fourth-most in a three-setter, while the assists are tied for eighth.
The Pioneers set the tone by winning the first three points of the match. McLarty went for five kills as Foster went 4-for-5 on her attempts. Defensively, Au dug up 10 attacks by the Wasps. E&H closed the gap, aided by two of its three blocks of the frame, before TU rattled off five-straight scores to hold a 10-4 edge. Emory & Henry was unable to get within five for the majority of the set, but fought off four set-points with a late rally. A rare service error by the visitors gifted the Pioneers the elusive 25th tally.
Set two was all Tusculum. The Pioneers hit .500 with 18 kills while holding the Wasps to three kills on a -.040 clip. Two of McLarty's eight kills in the frame came within the first three scores, with Thompson landing four strikes in a six-point span to stretch the lead to 13-5. TU scored in bunches, feeding upon a passionate crowd and bench. The home team reached the 20-point mark before the foes notched nine. Au clinched a two-set match lead with an ace to her opposite libero.
The Black and Orange recorded a match-best 19 kills in set three, but Emory & Henry managed its first lead of the night in hopes to extend the contest. McLarty and Willey combined for 11 kills as the defense of the Wasps was credited with four rejections. Once again, Tusculum recorded several points before E&H got on the board. The visitors went on a four-point spurt to hold the edge for the majority of the set, reaching as high as seven scores (14-7). Tusculum went on an 8-1 rally to force a tie at 15-all. TU pulled ahead to 19-17, but five-straight points from the Wasps threatened the sweep. At 24-22, in favor of Emory & Henry, Thompson righted the ship and an unforced error knotted the set. Foster and Thompson went back-to-back to preserve the Pioneers' unblemished conference record.
Tusculum continues its three-match homestand with a visit from Mars Hill on Tuesday (Sept. 24). First serve between the interstate rivals is scheduled for 7 p.m.
