Tuesday, October 9, 2007

 

TUSCULUM VOLLEYBALL HOSTS SAC LEADER WINGATE FRIDAY IN CRUCIAL LEAGUE MATCH

 

                GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- The Tusculum College volleyball team will be hosting one of the biggest matches in the program's history as they welcome South Atlantic Conference front-runner Wingate University this Friday night at 7 p.m.

 

                The Pioneers (19-7, 7-1 SAC) are riding an 11-match winning streak, the longest since Tusculum became an NCAA Division II member in 1998.  The modern era record is 15 in a row, established by the 1995 squad, en route to a 43-9 record.

 

                Wingate (21-1, 7-0 SAC) has also been on fire of late winning its last 12 matches and holds the distinction of being the last team to defeat Tusculum.  The Bulldogs defeated the Pioneers on Sep. 14 in a five-game thriller at Cuddy Arena.

 

                Wingate is in first place with a 7-0 league record, while Tusculum is second at 7-1.  Catawba College is third at 4-3, while Lincoln Memorial University and Lenoir-Rhyne College are tied for fourth at 3-4.  Carson-Newman College is sixth at 2-4, followed by Newberry College (2-5) and Mars Hill College (0-7)

 

                The Pioneers are led by All-South Atlantic Conference outside hitter Vivian Lacy, who is averaging 4.86 kills (3rd in SAC) and 2.63 digs per game.  Lacy leads the team with her .323 hitting percentage (6th in SAC) and is the only player in the nation to record 30 or more kills on four occasions this season.  She has been named the SAC Player of the Week twice this season and was the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II National Player of the Week.

 

                Rookie outside hitter Katie Luebke is having an outstanding freshman campaign.  Luebke is seventh in the conference in hitting percentage (3.15), while middle blocker Kelsey Hayden leads the league in blocking, averaging 1.76 per game.

 

                Wingate is led by reigning SAC Player of the Week Melissa DeLuca.  DeLuca is dishing out 12.94 assists per game, which are second in the conference.  Freshman sensation Stormi Gale leads the top serving team in the league as she is averaging 0.63 aces per game.  Gale is also posting 3.27 kills (10th in SAC) and 1.10 blocks per game (5th in SAC) for the Bulldogs.

 

                Tusculum and Wingate are the top two hitting teams in the SAC.  The Pioneers lead the conference hitting .269 as a team, while the Bulldogs are second with .263.  Wingate is tops in the SAC in opponent hitting percentage (.137), service aces (3.25 apg) and match won-lost percentage (21-1, .955).  The Pioneers also lead the conference in team blocking (3.41).

 

                Following Friday's contest, the Pioneers will be on the road for three in a row, including next Tuesday's rematch with archrival Carson-Newman.

 

- TC -