GREENEVILLE, TENN. – Freshman setter Paige Gardella (Sugar Grove, Ill.) tallied a double-double with 24 assists and 13 digs to go with four aces and the Limestone University women's volleyball team gave first-place Tusculum University all they could handle, falling just short of an upset in five sets Friday night.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Score: Tusculum 3, Limestone 2
Set Scores: 19-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-17, 15-10
Records: Tusculum (17-2, 13-1), Limestone (7-11, 4-9)
Location: Pioneer Arena
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
 

• Freshman right-side hitter Josie Curran (Westerville, Ohio) tallied 13 kills and three block assists
• Senior outside Madysen Williams (Antioch, Tenn.) added 12 kills, eight digs, and three blocks
• Senior libero Gabby Wessels (Watseka, Ill.) finished with 19 digs for the Blue and Gold
• Junior setter Abbey Baker (York, S.C.) dished out 14 assists and registered four digs
• Senior outside hitter Vanessa Blas (Concord, N.C.) recorded nine kills, three digs, and two blocks
• Senior middle blocker Madeline Yeager (Sacramento, Calif.) had five total blocks and four kills
• Senior middle block Madyson Lousignont (Las Vegas, Nev.) posted four blocks and four kills
• Senior defensive specialist Bailey Carpenter (Lawrenceville, Ga.) chipped in eight digs
• Junior outside Leilani Wilcox Nanai (Christchurch, New Zealand) tallied three kills and two blocks
• Limestone hit .137 as a team while the Pioneers finished with a .262 attack percentage
• The Saints finished with an 11-5 margin in blocks while Tusculum held a 68-62 edge in digs

 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
First Set
 
Gardella got the night start for the Blue and Gold with back-to-back service aces before a kill by Williams staked the visitors to a quick 3-0 lead, but the Pioneers responded with a 4-1 spurt to tie the opening set at 4-all. Tusculum moved in front, 6-5, but a kill on a massive blast from Blas drew the frame even at 6-all.
 
The Saints and Pioneers went blow-for-blow over the next eight points, making it 10-all, but a huge swing from Curran sparked a 3-0 surge as Limestone grabbed a 13-10 advantage. Tusculum cut the deficit to 13-12, but a solo block followed by a kill from Blas powered a 5-2 run as the Saints pulled ahead, 18-14.
 
Tusculum temporarily halted the run following a timeout, but an attack by Williams and an assisted block by both Williams and Yeager put Limestone on top, 22-15. The Pioneers attempted to rally behind a 4-2 counterattack, but Curran sealed the set win, 25-19, with a kill to give Limestone a 1-0 lead for the match.
 
Second Set
 
An attack by Williams allowed the Saints to split the first two points of the set, but the Pioneers would run off four of the next six points to grab a 5-3 edge early on. Limestone answered, however, as Curran got a kill through the defense before Blas left a dent in the floor to power a 4-2 run that tied the set at 7-apiece.
 
Following a kill by Lousignont that evened the frame, Tusculum rattled off five straight points over the next couple of minutes to take its biggest lead, 12-7. Consecutive kills in the middle by Yeager highlighted a 4-2 stretch to pull Limestone to within 14-11, but the Pioneers extended the margin to 20-12 late in set two.
 
Lousignont and Curran combined for a block during that run by the home team, but it was the lone bright spot during the 6-1 run by the Pioneers. The Saints battled down the stretch though, getting three kills from Curran and two from Williams to power a 10-4 rally, but TU had too big of a cushion in the 25-22 win.
 
Third Set
 
A double block from Curran and Yeager gave Limestone a 2-0 edge before Tusculum countered with a 9-4 run to move ahead in the third set, 9-6. A block in the middle by Lousignont and kills from Williams and Yeager then helped the Saints respond with a 7-3 stretch as the Blue and Gold regained the lead, 13-12.
 
The back-and-forth continued as Tusculum used a 5-3 rally to retake the advantage, 17-16, but a kill from Williams and an monstruous swing by Curran powered a 4-1 counterattack as Limestone went in front, 20-18. The Pioneers again tied the set, but a pair of kills by Curran highlighted a 4-2 run to make it 24-22.
 
Tusculum, the top team in the South Atlantic Conference, refused to go away quietly, getting the next point to cut the margin to 24-23. However, a surprise skip set by Gardella dropped to the floor as the Saints closed out the third with a nail-biting 25-23 decision, putting the visitors in front, 2-1, for the match.
 
Fourth Set
 
Tusculum took the first two points of set number four, but back-to-back kills from Williams highlighted a 3-0 spurt to give Limestone a 3-2 lead. Tied at 4-all a few moments later, the Pioneers used an 8-2 jaunt to double up the Blue and Gold, 10-5, and eventually took firm control of the frame, 18-9, in the late stages.
 
The Saints attempted to claw their way back into the set as a kill from Curran capped a quick 3-1 surge, trimming the deficit to 19-12, but Tusculum would force a decisive fifth set by closing out a 25-17 victory.
 
Fifth Set
 
The Pioneers grabbed the first point of the final frame, but a kill by Carpenter and blocks from Curran and Yeager put the Saints in front, 2-1. Tusculum ran off three straight points to make it 4-2 in favor of the home team, but a hard swing by Blas put the finishing touches on a 3-0 run to put the visitors on top, 5-4.
 
Tusculum would once again rally with three consecutive points to retake the lead, 7-5, but the Saints answered with three of the next four points, capped by a kill from Lousignont, to again even things up at 8-all. Despite attacks from both Wilcox Nanai and Yeager, the Pioneers had an answer as they closed out the decisive fifth set on a 7-3 run down the final stretch and survived Limestone's close upset bid, 15-11.     
 
TURNING POINT
 
Trailing 2-1 in the match, Tusculum took control of the fourth set early by using an 8-2 run as part of a larger 16-6 stretch to grab a sizeable lead. The Saints and Pioneers went back-and-forth in the fifth set as the score was tied at 8-all midway through, but Tusculum staved off the upset by closing with a 7-3 spurt.
 
NOTABLES
 

• Gardella recorded three service aces in the opening set for the Saints
• It was back-and-forth all night as both teams battled through 33 ties and 12 lead changes
• Limestone's top three offensive threats – Curran, Williams, and Blas – accounted for 39 points
• The Pioneers avenged a 3-0 sweep at the hand of the Saints during the spring 2021 season
• Tusculum has won six of the last seven meetings dating back to the 2008 campaign
• Limestone drops to 0-2 this year in five-set matches

 
UP NEXT
 
The Saints have a quick turnaround as they travel to face UVA Wise on Saturday, October 30 at 2 p.m.