CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – Tigers battled the Saints Thursday night and won in a five-set duel due to
Reza Tahnasebi's service streak.
Campbellsville opened up set one, allowing Thomas More to take control of the match with an initial 5-2 lead.
Reza Tahnasebi, making his season debut for the Tigers, put away his first career kill to end the Saints' hot start. The Tigers were troubled by their service errors as the set progressed, giving the Saints a step closer to the set victory.
JoVeaun Banks notched a kill at a crucial point in the match, ending the Saints' four-point run. The Saints bounced back and silenced the Tigers with a five-point spree. Another swing from Banks allowed the Tigers to scrape closer to the Saints, but Thomas More took the first set 25-20.
Set two opened up in the ideal way for Campbellsville when they started on an impressive 5-0.
Diego Betancourt spread the ball and used a variety of offensive weapons. The Tigers maintained a steady pace as they continued to dominate over the Saints in the set. Tahnasebi notched two swings for the Tigers to keep them ahead. The Saints were logging errors at an extremely high rate, propelling the Tiger's success. Betancourt went on a service run to solidify the end of the frame, adding an ace to his statistic line. The Tigers won the second set 25-20.
The Tigers started slow in the third frame, initially allowing the Saints to go on a 5-1 run.
Jakob Zum Kolk stopped the run with a kill from the outside. As both teams exchanged punches equally,
Alvaro Grande found a hole in the Saints' block and put a hole in the floor in favor of the Tigers. It was a constant fight as to who could get ahead. The Saints went on a run though, and ultimately finished the set-off 25-19.
The fourth set started with a fight from the Tigers as they capitalized on early errors by the Saints. Tahnasebi and Zum Kolk were key players in the frame as Betancourt consistently searched for those reliable attackers. Tigers went on a four-point run with major credit to Zum Kolk and his three back-to-back swings. The Tigers smoked the Saints with increased hitting percentage and discipline at the service line. The Tigers snatched the fourth set 25-17.
It was a storybook final frame for the Tigers in the fifth set. They opened with a two-point run, which the Saints responded to, making it an even playing field at 3-3. Tahnasebi had a massive influence over the direction of the match the rest of the way as he went to the service line for ten serves in a row, racking up five aces. The match was in the Tigers' hands as they took control of the momentum the night. They sealed the deal with a final score of 15-6.
The Tigers finished with a 0.259 hitting percentage and 64 total assists.
John-Marcos Gonzalez led the team with 19 kills and a 0.333 hitting percentage. Tahnasebi tabbed 14 kills, five aces, seven digs, and two digs in his debut. Betancourt tallied 58 assists in five sets, averaging 11.6 assists a set.
The Tigers will have another match Saturday, March 4th in Parkville, Missouri at 2 p.m. ET against Park University.
