NEW ALBANY, Ind. – The Lady Tigers welcomed their new head coach with a convincing 3-0 sweep of the University of Indiana Southeast Grenadiers.
In the first set, the Lady Tigers jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead when IU Southeast called a timeout. The Grenadiers earned the next point to make it 5-1, but junior outside hitter Hannah McGill would side out with a thunderous kill to continue Campbellsville's offensive advance, 6-1. The Lady Tigers cruised the rest of the way, leading by as much as 14 points at 22-8. Campbellsville was led by Molly Shannon's six kills and .417 hitting percentage in the first set as it ended 25-12.
In the second set, the Lady Tigers again burst out the gates to a 5-2 advantage. However, the Grenadiers would eventually take the lead at 11-12. The Lady Tigers struggled to gain momentum as they had back-to-back hitting errors, gave up an ace, and were called out of rotation. However, the team regrouped and the game would go back-and-forth with no team leading by more than three points at any one time. In the final moments of the set, the lefty McGill scored consecutive kills to open up a comfortable lead for the Lady Tigers and eventually close out the set, 25-21. Campbellsville was led by middle hitter Cierra Merrick with four kills and McGill with three.
The third set had seven lead changes as both teams scored points in bunches and the Grenadiers fought to fend off the sweep. The Lady Tigers opened up with a 6-2 lead only to allow IU Southeast to tie it up at 15. The teams traded blows and clutch plays until the final moments. Campbellsville eked up to a slight advantage as both teams reached 20 before middle blocker McKenna Barfield slammed two kills. Then, Shannon's searing shot from the right side brought the Lady Tigers to have set, match, point. The Grenadiers would avoid defeat only momentarily making it 24-21 before eventually losing the match on their own service error.
Campbellsville was led by the sophomore Shannon with 13 kills and 18 digs. McGill ended the match with nine kills and both middle hitters, Merrick and Barfield, had six kills each. Andrea Laboy anchored the team's defense with 15 digs. The story of the season opener match was how the Lady Tigers dominated the stat sheet in almost every category, Campbellsville had a .245 hitting percentage vs. IU Southeast's .047%, 45 kills vs. the opposing team's 25 kills, and dug 79 attacks vs. the Grenadiers' 58.
Coach Peyton Johnston had this to say after her first career win as a head coach: "Extremely proud of the way the girls opened the season. They did a great job of putting into action what we, as the coaching staff, have been working towards. I am excited to see how we continue into the season, but for now we are celebrating opening the season with a win."
The Lady Tigers will have another scrimmage before continuing their season at the Crosstown Showdown Tournament in Mishawaka, Indiana beginning on Friday, September 2nd where they will face Indiana University Kokomo, Trinity Christian College, Grace College, and Bethel University (Ind.).
