SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – (RV) Campbellsville battled #15 Lawrence Tech Saturday evening and lost to the Blue Devils in a five-set war.
The Tigers began the match with a slower-than-normal start searching for revenge from Friday night's loss against Thomas More.
Jakob Zum Kolk ended the first set with a team-high two kills on five attempts, hitting .400. The Tigers struggled to establish themselves early and were notching several errors. The team finished the first set with a negative hitting percentage of -0.111, yet they found their block earlier, allowing four players to mark a block assist on the stats sheet. The Tigers' errors resulted in a loss in the first set with a final score of 25-12.
The second set marked improvement from the first, yet it was not enough to turn the tide. Campbellsville's errors were cleaned up significantly from the start, though.
JoVeaun Banks and
Diego Betancourt established their connection with an impressive hitting percentage from Banks (.667). The defense greatly impacted the Tiger's route to improve too.
Andres Laboy had six of the team's 13 digs in the set. Blocks also aided the defensive stats as the Tigers added six more block assists to their totals. Campbellsville was more competitive in this set, but more was needed. The set went 25-21 for Lawrence Tech.
The Tigers came alive in the third set, resulting in Campbellsville's turning point. Consistency and teamwork were the keys to success for the Tigers. They hit .303 and silenced Lawrence Tech to only a .086 hitting percentage.
Diego Betancourt established his connection with his hitters. He got 13 assists and had three players hitting above .400 percent in the third set. The Tigers finished the frame 25-17.
Campbellsville took the floor for the fourth set and worked to control the match as they did in the previous set. Like the second, the Tiger tallied six block assists from five players.
Jariel Diaz led the team with four kills and no errors. From the first set to the fourth, the Tigers showcased steady improvement in all significant areas of statistics, allowing them to continue their success and win 25-23.
In the final set, the two teams went back and forth until point 11, when the Blue Devils started to capitalize on the Tiger's errors.
Alvaro Grande and Diaz had two kills, which helped the Tigers keep the margin closer, but it was not enough in the end. Lawrence Tech won the fifth set 15-11.
The match ended with some impressive stats for Campbellsville, despite the result not being the desired result. The Tigers had 45 total assists, 49 total digs, and 22 total blocks. Laboy posted 22 of the 49 digs. Overall, the Tigers were moving in the correct direction as they continued preparing for more conference play in the coming weeks.
Campbellsville will play Monday, February 13th again, at 7:30 p.m. in Adrian, Michigan, at Siena Heights University.
