POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – The Lady Tiger women's volleyball team had two games in their second day of pool play with a loss to the Trinity International University Trojans 3-2 and a defeat to Columbia International University 3-0. However, a tiebreaker situation would provide Campbellsville a single set to reach the semifinals and they would triumph over the host institution, the College of the Ozarks, to do just that.
The first match was an early morning affair. Campbellsville took the court with vigor winning the first set in convincing fashion 25-14 behind
Hannah McGill's team-leading three kills. The Lady Tigers benefited from 12 errors by the Trojans and keeping theirs to only six. The second set began 3-7 in favor of Trinity before McGill's kill began a run for Campbellsville. From that point on, the Lady Tigers were able to pull away a bit and keep their lead. An orchestrated, sustained attack eventually led to an
Alina Zellin kill to finish the set 25-18.
The third set was destined to be a nail-biter. The score would be tied 17 separate times in the frame and the lead would change six times. 25 wouldn't be enough for these two teams as they battled to 27-29 with Campbellsville ceding the potential game-ending set. Despite the loss, it was in this frame that
Paige Merrick solidified her double-double and would end with 39 assists and 17 digs.
The Trojans' kill percentage would continue to climb in the fourth set. After being down five points in the initial rallies, The Lady Tigers fought back to knot it at 12. From that point although Trinity would not claim a lead greater than three scores, they would keep that small cushion until the end of the set 22-25.
Going into the fifth set momentum was on the Trojans' side, but Campbellsville refused to go down without a fight. Despite their battle, Trinity would finish the comeback with a 7-15 closer. As the game went on, the kill percentages for the teams began to get closer and closer to equitable which was a worrying sign for Campbellsville. After the second set, the Trojans had only a .07 kill percentage compared to the Lady Tigers' .21. However, by the match's end, the kill percentages were .19 for both teams.
Freshman
Molly Shannon ended up recording the most kills after a slow start with 10. Seven Campbellsville players had five or more kills: Shannon, Zellin (9), McGill (8),
Julia Whiting (8),
Cierra Merrick (8),
Paige Merrick (7), and
Sonia Flendrich (5).
Salma Gonzalez-Sosa posted 29 digs and Shannon was behind her with 19 of her own.
In the second match of the day, the Lady Tigers would look to rebound for their opportunity to play in the NCCAA National Semifinals. The faced off against the Columbia International University Rams. In set number one, Campbellsville would edge out a 4-3 lead. Columbia International would then use a 21-8 run and close out the first set. The rams would hit .545 and only have one error the entire set. Zellin tallied three of the CU eight kills.
In set two, out of the gate on fire once again was Columbia International. They held a 7-1 lead before CU would score three in a row. Another Ram run would set the pace of this set as they led 17-7. The Lady Tigers would claw into the lead with a 7-2 run of their own. CIU would finish out the set 25-17 and hold a 2-0 advantage.
Set three was different and similar in some respects. This match would see a 16-15 Rams lead with neither team having more than a three-point lead. This is when CIU would continue forward and win the set 25-20.
Shannon and Zellin led CU with five kills each. Flendrich and McGill added four as well. Gonzalez-Sosa finished with 17 digs and four assists.
College of the Ozarks hadn't won a set at the NCCAA National Tournament until Friday night where they defeated Trinity International University 3-1. This would put three teams in the Lady Tigers' pool ranked #1 and #2. The NCCAA would then go to a tiebreaker in which seeding helped CU. Campbellsville began the tournament #2, Trinity International University started #6, and College of the Ozarks #7.
That would mean Trinity International and College of the Ozarks would play first. This was a tiebreaking set, so the first to 25 advanced to play Campbellsville for a shot at the semifinals. College of the Ozarks would again defeat Trinity International to reach Campbellsville.
This set, like many sets in volleyball, was a game of runs. Campbellsville jumped out to a 16-10 lead in the frame. The College of the Ozarks would climb back into the contest and make it 17-14 forcing a Campbellsville timeout. With a three-point advantage, CU would only allow three more points in the set. The Lady Tigers advanced to the semifinals of the NCCAA National Tournament with a 25-17 score over the College of the Ozarks.
The Lady Tigers will now go up against Mid-America Christian University at 11 a.m. ET Saturday morning in the NCCAA National Tournament Semifinals.
