Unbeaten Tunstall sets single-season volleyball wins record

BASSETT — Undefeated and top-seeded Tunstall rallied after nearly falling in a two sets to none deficit to dispatch scrappy No. 5 seed Bassett 3-1 in the Piedmont District volleyball tournament semifinals Thursday night at Bassett. Game scores were 15-25, 26-24, 25-19 and 26-24.

Tunstall (21-0), which set the program’s single-season wins record with the victory, advances to the Piedmont tournament championship game against either Patrick County or Martinsville at 2 p.m. Saturday at Bassett. The Trojans also host a Region IV tournament game against a River Ridge District opponent to be determined at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

“We just never stop. They just find ways of winning,” Tunstall coach Jackie Hardy said. “They just think they can no matter what. One of the reasons is that we’ve played so many close games, so they know what to do when it’s close, and this is you don’t get excited. You just keep playing your game and hustle hard, and we’ve learned to do that and I think that helps us a lot.”

The victory avenged an upset loss to the Bengals in last season’s Piedmont District tournament, but it didn’t come easy.

Bassett (6-13) pounced on Tunstall early, claiming a 12-4 advantage in the first set that forced the Trojans to call a timeout to regroup. Tunstall roared back, using a block and spike by Kelsey Smith to narrow the deficit to 14-10, prompting the Bengals to take a timeout of their own.

Bassett rebuilt its advantage when play resumed, however, as Tunstall serves went into the net and spikes flew out of bounds, and the Bengals cruised to a 25-15 victory in the opening set.

“It was like we were all asleep,” Tunstall senior Megan Dillion said. “We got it together, though.”

The second set was tied at 21-21 when a spike by Diandra Thompson ended a long rally to hand Bassett an edge. The Bengals extended that slim lead to 24-22 and could have taken a commanding two sets to none advantage in the game had one of their players not gone after a Tunstall shot that clearly would have landed out of bounds on game point. Tunstall won the next four points, however, capturing the set at 26-24 when one of the Bassett players whiffed while attempting to set the ball.

Rejuvenated by the victory, Tunstall buried Basset in the third set and again rallied from a 24-22 deficit in the fourth to end the Bengals’ season. Smith collected an ace on a laser of a serve to knot the fourth set at 24-24 and Dillion landed back-to-back spikes for the final points of the contest.

“We played better tonight than we’ve played in a long time,” Bassett coach Dyan Ragsdale said. “I wish it would have went the other way, but it didn’t. … I don’t really know what to say. It’s upsetting, because we’re losing five good, quality girls (to graduation).”

Smith racked up six points, 15 kills and seven blocks in the victory, while Distad chipped in with 14 digs and 10 kills. Kelsey Van Asch finished with five points and 24 digs for Tunstall, Kyla Moorefield had six kills and six blocks, Taylor Dix added 10 digs and 13 assists, Morgan Distad had four points and 13 assists and Catt Kefauver added seven kills.

“We had to dig deep, real deep, and go like we’ve been going the last 20 games. They played like they were the first (seed),” Smith said about Bassett, before turning her attention to the upcoming tournament title game. “We have to focus really hard and play our best coming out from the start.”