NEWBERRY - An all-time record eight blocks in three sets by Zoe Dinkins and double-digit kills from Toni-Anne Whitlow was not enough to push Newberry past Tusculum in a tight 3-0 matchup.
Seniors Madison Hargraves, Cydney Shaw, and Alexis Bryant were honored in a pregame ceremony as they took the court for one of their last home games. Hargraves tallied a trio of kills and block assists on the night, her best of the season. Shaw notched a service ace while Bryant added four kills to her senior campaign.
"It was an honor to celebrate our three seniors tonight: Cyd, Maddie, and Alexis," said head coach Callie Youngman. "To have their families in attendance was certainly special."Â
A kill by Tusculum's Cassie Born gave the Pioneers the 1-0 lead which they never relinquished throughout the entirety of the match. Back-to-back kills from Whitlow and a Tusculum attack error tied the game 19-19 but the Pioneers went on a 6-2 run to close the set 25-21. The Wolves had a game-high 16 kills in the frame.
Newberry capitalized on Pioneer errors to jump out to a 15-7 lead to begin the second frame. The Pioneers put together a string of five consecutive points to make it 16-12 before eventually overtaking the lead late in the set. A pair of attack errors from the Wolves capped the second set 25-23.
After four ties in the final set, Tusculum was able to mount a 14-6 run to capture the victory 25-17.
The Wolves return to Eleazer Arena Saturday, Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. to face conference foe Mars Hill.
