Box Score GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Genel Sturgeon recorded her second double-double of the season with a team-high 14 kills and 14 digs as Flagler College rallied past Tusculum College 3-2 (26-24, 8-25, 20-25, 25-15, 15-8) Friday afternoon at Pioneer Arena in the opening match of the Pioneer Classic, hosted by Tusculum.

Flagler improved to 4-2 overall while Tusculum is still searching for its first win through five matches.

Sara Davis added 11 kills and hit .391. She only had two errors on 23 swings. Davis also added three total blocks and served up five aces. Caitlyn Kovach collected a match-high 24 digs while Amelia Morgan tallied 39 assists. Megan Hooks tacked on eight kills and six digs. She finished hitting .300 with only two errors on 20 swings.

"This was a back-and-forth match but we showed our resiliency today," said Flagler head coach Matt Affolder. "Tusculum was a scrappy team and they put a lot of pressure on us. The girls figured things out and closed them out in the end."

Megan Hasse and Rachel Garnett each recorded 14 kills for the Pioneers. Hasse hit .300 with two errors on 40 swings. Hannah Berling recorded a double-double with a match-high 41 assists and added 10 digs. Moriah Jones led the Pioneers with 21 digs.

The two teams went back and forth in the first set with 16 ties and seven lead changes before the Saints came away with a 26-24 win. Davis recorded three kills in the set and her ace ended the set.

Tusculum dominated in the second set, hitting .323 with 13 kills and three errors on 31 swings. The Pioneers held the Saints to a -.034 hitting percentage.

The Pioneers continued to hit well in the third set, .250, with 15 kills and four errors on 44 swings. Sturgeon led the way for Flagler with six kills to keep the Saints close.

Flagler opened the fourth set on a 5-1 run and never looked back. The Saints hit .323 with 14 kills and had just four errors on 31 swings. Hooks led a balanced attack with five kills while Sturgeon added four and Davis three. Tusculum was limited to a .065 hitting percentage. "Hooks came in and played very well," added Affolder.

In the fifth and final set, Flagler reeled off six consecutive points to erase a 4-3 deficit and went on to win the set, 15-8. Davis had three consecutive aces in that run. Back-to-back kills by Hooks and Jenea Reddick ended the match. The Saints hit .323 in the deciding set with 14 kills and four errors on 31 swings.

Next up for Flagler will be King College of Tennessee at 5 p.m. this afternoon.

  Flagler def. Tusculum 26-24,8-25,20-25,25-15,15-8
 
  Flagler (4-2) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Genel Sturgeon 14-2-1; Sara Davis
  11-5-3; Megan Hooks 8-1-1; Taja Valmyr 5-0-0; Jailene Torres-Lopez
  3-0-2; Jenea Reddick 2-0-1; Ashley Cheewah 2-0-1; Amelia Morgan 1-0-2;
  Caitlyn Kovach 1-2-0; Totals 47-10-6.0. (Assists) - Amelia Morgan 38.
  (Dig leaders) - Caitlyn Kovach 24; Genel Sturgeon 14; Ashley
  Lechleidner 8
 
  Tusculum (0-5) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Megan Hasse 14-2-0; Rachel
  Garnett 14-0-1; Erin Carmody 7-1-2; Sabrina Schleuger 6-1-0; Jaida
  Allen 4-0-2; Moriah Jones 2-3-0; Sarah Bouley 1-1-0; Danae Stauffer
  1-0-0; Hannah Berling 1-3-1; Laryssa Welch 1-0-0; Dana Van Dyck 1-0-0;
  Totals 52-11-4.0. (Assists) - Hannah Berling 41. (Dig leaders) -
  Moriah Jones 21; Sabrina Schleuger 11; Dana Van Dyck 10; Hannah
  Berling 10; Megan Hasse 9
 
  Site: Greeneville, Tenn. (Pioneer Arena)
  Date: Sep 12, 2014   Attend: 145   Time: 1:58
  Referees: Tammy Delorey, Luis Martinez
  Pioneer Classic