BRISTOL, Tenn. – The King University men's volleyball team dropped their home opener Thursday night, 3-2 to Tusculum University.
Grayson Stoudt,
Justin Sawyer and
AJ Drooker all had 10+ kills for the Tornado.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Tusculum 3, King 2 (19-25, 25-20, 28-30, 25-22, 16-14)
LOCATION: Student Center Complex; Bristol, Tenn.
RECORDS: King 0-3, Tusculum 1-3
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
- King scored six of the first seven points, with Kolten Soon getting a kill and service ace during the stretch.
- After Tusculum scored three straight points to pull within 9-8, the Tornado scored four straight points, all of which came courtesy of Sean Haberthy, who had three aces and a kill to extend the lead to 13-9.
- The lead continued to grow, with the Tornado going ahead 18-11 on a kill from Alex Barkley.
- Stoudt ended the set with a kill, handing King a 25-19 set win.
Second Set
- Tusculum took an early 8-5 lead before King scored three in a row to tie the set at eight.
- A Pioneers service error later tied the score at 13, at which point Tusculum scored six of the next eight points to take a 19-15 lead.
- The Tornado scored two in a row, but Tusculum closed the set on a 6-3 scoring run to win it 25-20.
Third Set
- The Pioneers raced out to an early 8-3 lead, eventually working it to 12-7.
- King would then score seven of the next eight points, with Drooker picking up a pair of kills to hand King a 14-13 lead.
- Tusculum eventually took a 22-21 lead, which King erased, taking a 24-22 advantage on another Drooker kill.
- The Pioneers scored three in a row, forcing the set to go to extra points before Stoudt finished the set with a solo block, winning it 30-28.
Fourth Set
- After Tusculum took a 13-7 lead, King would score five of the next six points to pull to within 14-12.
- The Pioneers stretched their lead back to 21-15, which is where the Tornado rallied for five of the next six points, making the score 22-20 in favor of Tusculum.
- Tusculum would eventually win the set 25-22, forcing a fifth set.
Fifth Set
- The score was close early, with Tusculum taking a 5-4 lead before working it to a 7-5 advantage.
- After the Pioneers took a 13-9 lead, King scored four straight points, with Barkley getting a kill and a service ace to tie the score at 13.
- King would fight off a match point at 14-13, but the Pioneers eventually prevailed, winning the set 16-14 and taking the match 3-2.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Stoudt had a season-high 15 kills for the Tornado, with Sawyer posting a double-double at 12 kills and 10 digs.
- Andrew Haber handed out 50 set assists, his most of the season, also finishing with 11 blocks for his first double-double as a Tornado.
FOR THE FOES
- Deklan Wingo led all players with 21 kills, while Colby Landry had 19 kills and 11 digs.
- Taylor West led the Pioneers in digs with 15 while Tristan Blake had 56 assists.
UP NEXT
- King returns to the road to take on McKendree University on Friday, January 26 and Lindenwood University on Saturday, January 27. First serve in Lebanon, Ill. is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. (ET) while the match at Lindenwood will start at 3:00 p.m. (ET).
- Tusculum hosts North Greenville University on Tuesday.
