GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - The UVA Wise volleyball team opened the conference season with a loss on the road against SAC opponent Tusculum Tuesday.
Despite losing in four sets 25-20, 23-25, 25-22 and 25-21, the Cavaliers made a statement by holding their own and playing close against a tough Pioneers team.
Even though they lost 3-1, the Cavs held a lead of four points or greater in every set. Coming into the match, UVA Wise was 1-30 all-time against Tusculum. The last time the Cavs won a match or set against the Pioneers came in 1996 when the two teams met at Greear Gymnasium.
UVA Wise opened the match by jumping out to a five-point lead before Tusculum called a timeout. The Pioneers rallied out of the timeout by winning eight of the next 13 points to get within one, 19-18. After trading kills to make it 20-19, Tusculum rallied behind three service aces from senior outside hitter Aly Freeland to spark a 6-0 run and win the opening set.
The Cavs came out swinging again in the second set winning the first three points to grab an early 3-0 lead. Junior outside hitter Kaylee Scarce had a pair of kills in the short run. She finished the night with 14 kills to lead all Cavaliers hitters.
After holding a 7-2 lead later in the second set, the Cavs would allow another Pioneer run to the tune of four straight points with two kills from graduate outside hitter Emma Burrowes.
With the second set hanging in the balance at 23-23, a well placed kill from junior outside hitter Morgan Blevins pushed the Cavs in front. An attack error by Burrowes would give UVA Wise the second set and tie the match.
The third and fourth sets were much the same as the opener.
In set three, UVA Wise held another early lead at 11-7 but couldn't hang on and would fall 25-22. Sophomore middle blocker Martina Foster had three kills in the third set for the Pioneers.
With the match on the line set four, UVA Wise again found itself in a close battle during crunch time. Tied at 21, an attack error from the Cavs and three consecutive kills from Freeland sealed a match-deciding 4-0 run for Tusculum.
The overarching story of the match was timely errors for the Cavaliers combined with clutch kills from a myriad of Pioneers hitters. The Cavs totaled 39 kills but coupled them with 26 errors on 140 attempts for a team hitting percentage of .093 percent.
Burrowes led the Pioneers and all scorers with 15 kills while hitting .163 percent. Freeland notched a double-double with 13 kills and 16 digs.
For UVA Wise, Scarce was the only scorer in double figures. Her 14 kills paired with 12 digs gave her a fourth double-double of the season. The setters played well again for UVA Wise as sophomore Piper Suddeth and junior Lily Gutierrez combined for 33 assists and 16 digs. Suddeth added three service aces, marking her third straight match with three or more aces.
The Cavs fell to 3-2 on the year while the Pioneers bumped up to 3-1. UVA Wise will now get ready to face Barton College on the road in Wilson, N.C. The match is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sunday Sep. 10.
