LEBANON, Tenn. — Freshman Sonia Flendrich tallied 16 kills and Lady Tiger volleyball won in four sets at Cumberland University, 25-16, 22-25, 25-21 and 30-28. 
 
The win improves the Lady Tigers to 20-8 overall and 11-2 inside the MSC to secure the conference's second-seed in the upcoming Mid-South Conference Tournament. The win also extends CU's win streak to nine straight matches entering the MSC finales on Thursday vs. No. 6 Lindsey Wilson. 
 
Tonight, though, CU started fast but teetered off in the second set. Flendrich and Maria Coelho both had three kills each and the Lady Tigers hit .154 overall. In the second frame, Cumberland came out swinging and went on an 8-3 run to close out the set and win, 25-22. 
 
The third and fourth sets were a little closer down the stretch. Campbellsville got the momentum back in the third after hitting a match-high .168 with 13 kills and five blocks. But the tides turned and that was the difference maker that kept Cumberland in the match. 
 
The Phoenix finished with 20 total blocks, led by Mikayla Wickham's 11 and Luciana Arena's eight. Campbellsville on the other hand had just nine blocks. 
 
The difference maker for Campbellsville? Serving. The Lady Tigers tallied 13 service aces, compared to just three. 
 
In the fourth set, Campbellsville led early, 7-3, and later, 16-10 but Cumberland didn't go away. The Phoenix went on a 7-1 run to tie the match at 17-all. Cumberland ended up take leads of 22-21 and 23-22 but each time the Lady Tigers were able to side-out and get the serve right back. 
 
Flendrich put down her final kill to push CU's lead, to one, 29-28, and an attacking error by Cumberland's Abby Akins to seal the match, 30-28. 
 
Paige Merrick finished the night with 36 assists on the 50 kills for CU and 15 digs for another double-double, while Jaimie Thompson had 22 digs. Flendrich and Savannah Moss rounded out the Lady Tigers with 14 and 10 digs, respectively. 
 
Coelho had 11 kills and was two digs away from a double-double with eight, while Yelysaveta Sharkova had 10 kills. 
 
The Lady Tigers now get back in the Powell Athletic Center with the MSC finale on Thursday night against Lindsey Wilson. First serve goes up at 7 p.m. ET.