WISE – New year, new coach, another trip to the South Atlantic Conference Tournament for the UVA Wise volleyball team. Their quest for the program's first conference title since 2004 begins Tuesday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. when the seven-seeded Highland Cavaliers face off against the second-seed Tusculum in the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

This marks the third consecutive season for the team making the tournament, which is a first. The team did made three Mountain East Tournament appearances, but not in back-to-back-to-back years. They also played in the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament each year when they were in that conference, but every team played in that tournament automatically. Since they joined the Mid-South Conference in 2010 they have had to earn a berth in the post-season conference tournament.

With the changing nature of collegiate sports due to the transfer portal and NIL, one would think the Cavs bring in a veteran squad hardened from three years of tournament experience. And they do have four players who fit that criteria in Riley Brandon, Abigail Curtis, Serina Petersen, and Braelynn Williams, but that is balanced out by ten freshmen and sophomores on the roster. So this is a very young squad.

GETTING WISE
- The team is riding high, with their best conference record since joining the NCAA in 2013 and the best overall conference record since the 2007 season. Overall their 14 wins tie for the second-most in the NCAA era with last year's team and are the most since 2015.
- The team is averaging 13.16 kills a set while their opponents are averaging 12.73, but the opposition is out-hitting the Cavs by a .213-.201 margin. The 13.15 kills are the third-best in the SAC, while the .201 hitting percentage ranks seventh. The opponent's .213 percentage allowed ranks 11th in the SAC.
- The team ranks third in the SAC assists (12.31 a set), fifth in blocks (1.83), sixth in digs (16.72), and seventh in aces (1.46.
- Olivia Amos is making a strong case for not only the All-Freshman Team but Freshman of the Year as she is third in the SAC in assists with 10.20 a set. Amos enters the post-season with 969 assists on the season, which are the third most in a season in program history and the most by a player without reaching 1,000 assists. Between the two matches vs. Tusculum in the regular season she averaged 50 so odds are she surpasses the 1,000 assists mark Tuesday. She also has 25 aces and 226 digs on the season and has surpassed 55 digs in a match three times.
- Skye Williams is also making a strong case for the All-Freshman Team and Freshman of the Year as she is averaging 3.00 kills a set (tied for seventh in the SAC) and 3.32 points a set (eighth in the SAC.) Williams also has 19 aces and 200 digs this season.
- Maggy Sechrist is another strong candidate for the All-Freshman team as she is averaging 2.79 kills, 0.17 aces, and 3.00 digs a set.
- Abigail Curtis is digging her way not only through the UVA Wise record books but the SAC and national standings as well. She leads the SAC in digs with 5.68 a set (the next player is averaging 5.29) and ranks fifth nationally in both digs per set and total digs. She has 608 digs to date, which are the third-most in a season at UVA Wise. Her 40 digs at Coker lead the SAC this season and are the program's NCAA-era record for digs in a match. She passed the 1,800 digs mark a couple weeks ago and currently has 1,876, which trails only Britney Lawson's 2,080 in the record books. Curtis also passed the 100 aces mark this year, becoming only the eighth player to do so, and currently ranks seventh in program history in that category with 108.     
- Mable James is second in the SAC in blocks with 1.09 a set and third in total blocks with 101 for the season. The 101 blocks are the 12th-best in a season in program history and the 1.09 a set ranks her 14th. She also has 199 kills this season.
- Riley Brandon, who is the only Highland Cavalier to date with a triple-double to her credit, is averaging 2.53 kills and 1.21 digs a set while hitting .210.

ABOUT TUSCULUM
- The Pioneers are the second-seed after being picked to finish seventh in the preseason coaches' poll. The second place finish is all the more noteworthy as spots 2-7 have probably been the most competitive they have been for many seasons. They come into the match with a 18-8 overall and 15-7 record in the SAC.
- The Pioneers won both meetings 3-1, but all were close in scoring.
- At the end of the regular season, TU had five players with 100 kills or more: Addison McLarty (284), Mackenzie Land (276), Karris Oller (272), Gracie Hibdon (121), and Jordan Moore (111).
- Hibdon also led the team with 920 assists.
- Hall (529), Hibdon (342), and Kane (263) led in digs,
- Moore (65), Oller (59), and Hibdon (51) were had at least 50 total blocks.
- As a team, Tusculum is in the top-four in the SAC in total service aces (2nd; 199), aces per set (3rd; 1.84), opponent hitting percentage (3rd; .167), attacks per set (3rd; 38.08), assists per set (4th; 12.17), total assists (4th; 1,314), digs per set (4th; 17.61), and total kills (4th; 1,409).
- Nationally, Hall, Oller, and Hibdon are ranked in the top-50 nationally in numerous categories. Hall is 16th in digs per set (5.29), 27th in total digs, and 44th in aces. Oller ranks 32nd in hitting percentage (.377), while Hibdon sits eighth in triple-doubles (1) and 44th in total assists.

UP NEXT
The winner of this match advances to play the winner of the Lenoir-Rhyne/Carson-Newman match Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.