The Pioneers, who finished 23-5 overall and 16-2 in SAC matches, will play seventh-seeded Mars Hill in a quarterfinal match Friday at 5 p.m. The winner will advance to the semifinals on Saturday at 4 p.m. against the winner of the quarterfinal match between third-seeded Lincoln Memorial and sixth-seeded Anderson, with the championship match slated for Sunday at 2 p.m.
Tusculum posted a pair of 3-0 wins over Mars Hill during the regular season, defeating the Lions 25-21, 25-23, 25-13 on the road in their conference opener on September 7 and winning 25-17, 25-19, 25-17 at Pioneer Arena on October 12.
The Pioneers boast a balanced and effective offensive attack, with five players averaging two kills or more per set. Freshman Rhayne Smitherman leads Tusculum with 295 kills (2.84 per set) while sophomore Sam Underwood is close behind with 279 kills (2.66 per set). Allyson Ray, the team's lone senior, has posted 233 kills (2.22 per set) and is hitting .286, while sophomore Bailee Price has 223 kills (2.14 per set).
Alyssa Raterman leads the Pioneers in hitting percentage at .352 (second in the SAC) and has 212 kills to join her four teammates with over 200 kills this season. She was named the SAC Player of the Week for the week ending October 3 after hitting .479 and averaging 3.69 kills per set in three conference victories.
Freshman setter Ashley Sarmiento has smoothly directed the Pioneer offense throughout the season, averaging a conference-high 10.36 assists per set with a season total of 1,088 assists. She has won the SAC Specialist of the Week award three times this season.
On defense, freshman Caitlyn Dean leads Division II in digs per set with an average of 6.93, on the strength of 714 digs in 103 sets. She has already shattered the school single-season record of 577 digs set by Alexis Rowles in 2005 and tied Rowles' single-match mark of 46 digs against Newberry on October 1. Dean has reached double figures in digs in all but one match this season, and has recorded 30 or more digs on 10 different occasions.
Price (340 digs, 3.27 per set), Underwood (284 digs, 2.70 per set) and Sarmiento (265 digs, 2.52 per set) have also been top contributors in the backcourt, along with sophomore defensive specialist Melanie Gibson who has posted 191 digs for an average of 2.12 digs per set. As a team, the Pioneers lead the SAC With 19.57 digs per set.
Leading the Pioneers in service aces is Price with 39, followed by Underwood with 30, Sarmiento with 27 and Dean with 25. Freshman Tori Welker has added 22 aces as a service specialist for the Pioneers. Up front, Ray has recorded a team-high 72 blocks followed by Raterman with 46, Smitherman with 36 and Underwood with 29.
The winner of the tournament receives an automatic bid into the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championship tournament.
Admission to all Food Lion South Atlantic Conference tournament events is $5 per day for adults and $2 for college students and children 13 and under. Fans showing their Food Lion MVP card can save $1 off the adult admission price.
Friday, November 12
Food Lion SAC Tournament quarterfinals
at Catawba College, Salisbury, N.C.
No. 8 Newberry vs. No. 1 Wingate, Noon
No. 5 Catawba vs. No. 4 Carson-Newman, 2:30 p.m.
No. 7 Mars Hill vs. No. 2 Tusculum, 5 pm
No. 6 Anderson vs. No. 3 Lincoln Memorial, 7:30 pm
Saturday, November 13
Food Lion SAC Tournament semifinals
at Catawba College, Salisbury, N.C.
Newberry/Wingate winner vs. Catawba/Carson-Newman winner, 1:30 p.m.
Mars Hill/Tusculum winner vs. Anderson / Lincoln Memorial winner, 4 p.m.
Sunday, November 14
Food Lion SAC Tournament championship
at Catawba College, Salisbury, N.C.
2 p.m.
Visit tusculumpioneers.com for the latest news and info on Tusculum College Athletics.
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