CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – With the regular season winding down, Campbellsville Lady Tiger Volleyball hosted Cumberland University in the regular-season finale for both teams. Campbellsville honored its eight seniors before the match, but the emotions and memories were put aside as the Lady Tigers got down to business and swept Cumberland University, 25-16, 25-11, and 25-15.
"We have a very special group of seniors this year their," said Coach Amy Zink. "Their work ethic and individuality will be hard to replace. They have a excelled on the court and in the classroom. More than anything, they understand the importance of teamwork and playing together."
Cumberland won each point to start every set but, Campbellsville did not allow them to lead the match by more than three points — which was in the third set. The Lady Tigers used the heavy hitting of three seniors who were playing in their final match in Powell Athletic Center. Rinata Aisena led the way with 16 kills and Kelly Moyer recorded nine and Daiane Souza chipped in with seven.
With the score 16-14 in the first set and Campbellsville leading, the Lady Tigers used a 9-1 run to finish off Cumberland and it looked as if the air was deflated from the away bench.
Although the Bulldogs won the first point of the second set, Campbellsville took control. If the air wasn't deflated from their bench by now, it sure would be after the 10 straight points by Campbellsville, making the score 12-2.
Cumberland did start to show some fight later in the set, but it dug itself too big of a hole while Aisena and Kortas came up with three kills in the final four points, giving the second game to Campbellsville, 25-11.
Campbellsville went down early in the third set as Cumberland took its largest lead of the night at 5-2. But after a kill by Aisena, Moyer used two consecutive kills to tie the knot at six apiece and it was the last time the Lady Tigers trailed the rest of the match.
Haley Bechtel used Campbellsville's only service ace to make the score 10-7 and Cumberland could not get any momentum to challenge the Lady Tigers. Campbellsville won the last game 25-15.
Campbellsville controlled the middle and end of each set, as it never trailed after the sixth point in each game.
Before the match, Coaches Amy Zink and Billy Gregory recognized the achievements and dedication the eight Lady Tiger seniors have put in while they were at Campbellsville University. Kamika Joyner, Rinata Aisena, Daiane Souza, Kelly Moyer, Giselle Hernandez, Audrey Sanders, Lexis Lloyd and Caitlin Dresing all played in their final match in Powell Athletic Center.
This senior class has complied a record of 111-47 during the last four seasons. Campbellsville won the NCCAA National Championship in 2009, as Dresing was a part of that team (first NCCAA title in all CU team sports). The Lady Tigers also returned to the national tournament after winning the 2010 Mid-East Regional Championship. In 2011, the Lady Tigers finished runner-up in the regional but returned to the NCCA last season as they won their third Regional Championship in four years.
This senior class has a national title, two regional championships, two first-team All Mid-South Conference selections, three MSC honorable mention awards, four Academic All-MSC selections, and one NAIA Scholar Athlete.
Dresing is one Lady Tiger who sticks out as she sits in second place in CU history with 2,142 career digs, averaging four digs per set. Leading each of those categories is Zink.
Aisena has also led the Lady Tigers all year in their offensive attack as she is the reigning MSC Player of the Week and has received the honor three times this season. She recorded a total of 823 kills in the past two seasons as a junior college transfer. The Riga, Latvia native is ranked eighth in the nation with a total of 4.1 kills per set.
With the senior-laden team, the Lady Tigers finished the season on a strong note, closing with five straights victories. CU locked up the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Mid-South Conference Tournament and will play the No. 6 seed University of the Cumberlands in its first matchup on Friday, Nov. 15. The tournament is hosted at the Mid-American Sports Center in Louisville, Ky. For more information, log on to www.CampbellsvilleTigers.com and www.Mid-SouthConference.org
"The girls understand that it doesn't matter what we have done in the past," continued Zink. "When tournament time comes we are all starting over, it doesn't matter who we beat or who we lost to in the regular season."
Live stats and video will be available during the MSC Tournament and will be updated on the web site when they become available. Follow @MidSouthSports and @MidSouthScores for Mid-South Conference Tournament updates.
To follow Lady Tiger volleyball through the MSC and National Tournaments, check out @CUTigerVball and for all Campbellsville Athletic news, stats, and scores, follow @CvilleTigers.
