The Lenoir-Rhyne Volleyball Team (11-5, 6-2) won a key South Atlantic Conference showdown with Tusculum (12-4, 6-2), 3-2, Saturday afternoon at Shuford Memorial Gymnasium.  The Bears won over the Pioneers by scores of 25-20, 25-

16, 17-25, 15-25 and 15-5. L-R sophomore outside hitter Haley Rhyne (Statesville, N.C.) finished with a team-high 13 kills while freshman outside hitter Morgan Bunker (Mount Airy, N.C.) and sophomore defensive specialist Emily Culler (Mount Airy, N.C.) added 20 digs each as the Bears improved to 7-0 at home this year.
Freshman setter Briana Gottberg (Mooresville, N.C.) tallied 21 assists and 10 digs as well for Lenoir-Rhyne, who won its fourth straight match. Tusculum, despite the loss, received a match-high 16 kills from Kassie Voelker (Morristown, Tenn.) and 45 digs from Caitlyn Dean (Fort Wayne, Ind.). The Pioneers' Ashley Sarmiento (Dayton, Ohio) totaled 41 assists as well but Tusculum saw its four-match winning streak come to an end.
The Bears also totaled 12 blocks as a team and held off a late charge by the Pioneers, who took the third and fourth sets, for the win. Lenoir-Rhyne travels to Newberry, S.C., to take on Newberry in a league match on Friday beginning at 7 p.m.  Tusculum plays at conference-foe Mars Hill on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

Photo Courtesy: Haley Rhyne, L-R Athletics