Greeneville, T.N. - The No. 6 seeded Catawba College women's volleyball team went on the road against the No. 3 seeded Tusculum Pioneers for the opening round of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament and fell just short of pulling off the win at Pioneer Area, losing 3-2 in a thrilling, back-and-forth contest on Monday night.
TEAM STATS
- Tusculum edged out Catawba in kills, as the Pioneers notched 58 to Catawba's 50. 46 of Catawba's kills and 50 of Tusculum's were assisted
- Catawba committed fewer service errors with just four to Tusculum's 15, but suffered from 34 attack errors to the Pioneers' 21
- Defensively, Catawba led with 93 digs to Tusculum's 73, but the Pioneers led in total blocks with 9.0 to Catawba's 6.0
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
- Kelcie Love again led Catawba in kills with 17, joined in double-figures by Rachel Gonzales, who finished with 10. Lauren Patrick and Lauren Bodell each finished with nine apiece
- Dara Kane led Catawba in assists once again with 38 on the night, with Riley Hill contributing five of her own
- Hill would lead all players in digs with 24, as Riannel Arevalo finished right behind her and second overall with 19
- Chloe Danielson and Bodell racked up 3.0 total blocks apiece, with Patrick nearly matching them with 2.0 of her own
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST SET
- The opening set the tone early, with both teams showcasing plenty of postseason intensity in a hard-fought back-and-forth. Tusculum would score the first two points, only for kills from Gonzales and Chloe Danielson to even things up
- Emma Burrowes led a charge for the Pioneers, notching a trio of kills as the hosts took a 7-5 lead
- While Tusculum would take a pair of two-point leads, they were unable to break the set open thanks to a pair of timely kills from Patrick, who prevented Catawba from falling behind by more than two before Bodell equalized the set at 9-9
- Catawba took their largest lead of the set shortly after at 12-10 thanks to an ace from Arevalo and a kill from Chloe Danielson, but a series of errors would allowed the Pioneers to again level the score
- Kelcie Love took over for Catawba with three kills as the set advanced to 19-19
- That would be where Tusculum would separate themselves, pulling ahead 22-19 on a 3-0 run before Catawba could answer. Aly Freeland would close the set herself for the Pioneers, with three straight kills to earn the hosts a 25-20 win in the opening frame
SECOND SET
- The second set began in a similarly contested way as the first, with neither team able to lead by more than two as Love and Gonzales traded kills with Freeland and Burrowes
- Tusculum surged ahead on a 4-0 run to make it 13-8, threatening to again break away. However, Catawba had an answer in the form of a huge 4-0 run of their own thanks to a pair of kills from Patrick and one apiece from Love and Bodell
- Thompson and Bodell notched a pair of kills apiece in the following action for their respective sides, as the set reached 15-15 in a deadlock
- This time, it would be Catawba that broke away. A pair of Kary Hales aces accompanied by kills from Bodell and Patrick sparked a 5-0 run to make it 20-15
- Freeland fought hard to keep Tusculum in it, scoring a trio of kills to keep the Pioneers within reach at 18-21, but the hosts would be unable to salvage the set as Gonzales and Love secured a 25-20 win to even the match at one set apiece
THIRD SET
- Tusculum opened the third set on a 6-2 run thanks to Freeland and Burrowes, though a series of errors by the Pioneers allowed Catawba back into the set at 8-7
- That one point would be the closest that Catawba would get, however, as the Pioneers would lead for the entire set en-route to the win in an error-strewn third frame
- Gonzales would lead Catawba with four kills, but it wouldn't be enough as they found themselves down 9-14, then 12-19, before Tusculum would ultimately take the set 25-17 thanks to another dominant showing from Freeland as well as Burrowes and Whitney Thompson
FOURTH SET
- With their season on the line, Catawba responded with one of their most impressive sets of the year. Opening on a 6-2 run thanks to aces from each of Chloe Danielson and Kane to go with kills from Gonzales
and Love, the visitors set the tone immediately and wouldn't trail the entire frame
- Burrowes fought to keep Tusculum close, but answers from Chloe Danielson, Love, and Patrick ensured Catawba remained at least three points ahead until the Pioneers pulled to within two at 14-16 and 15-17
- That would be the closest they got during the final stretch, as three straight Tusculum errors gave Catawba a 20-15 lead and a runway to close out the set
- They would do just that, with Chloe Danielson, Love, and Bodell scoring decisive kills to hand Catawba a 25-19 win and force a decisive fifth set
FIFTH SET
- Unfortunately for Catawba, they appeared to run out of steam after their blistering fourth set. Tusculum blitzed the visitors in a 5-0 start that would escalate into a 12-3 run and ultimately a 15-5 victory
- Kills from Love and Patrick were unable to keep Catawba close amidst another big frame from Freeland and Burrowes on the Tusculum side, as Catawba fell achingly short of the upset bid by a final score of three sets to two against the Pioneers
