MOUNT VERNON, Ohio. – On Saturday, the (RV) Tigers began their year in Ohio to battle the Trinity Christian College Trolls and the (RV) Mount Vernon Nazarene University Cougars. Campbellsville came away with a victory and a loss to start the 2024 season, rallying back in the first game against the Trolls and struggling in the second facing the Cougars.
GAME ONE: Campbellsville 3, Trinity Christian 2
The first set began with errors from both teams, tying the score early in the frame. In the following minutes, both teams battled for control over the lead, exchanging kill after kill, continuously tying the score. However, after knotting things at seven, the Tigers took it upon themselves to score a few kills, propelling them upward with the lead and leaving the Trolls trailing. Trinity Christian attempted to retaliate, but Campbellsville's six-point run with kills by John-Marcos Gonzalez, Neels Paugels, and Gaston Barrionuevo earned the Tigers their first win of the match with a ten-point advantage, 25-15.
The Trolls opened the second set with three straight points in their favor, interrupted by a service error in their opposition. Alonzo Vega's assist aided Joao Tavares, earning the Tigers their first kill of the frame. Campbellsville's resilient efforts were not enough to best the Trolls as they continued to widen their lead. Tavares' kills brought the Tigers within three-points from the advantage, but a couple of errors from Campbellsville prevented them from stealing the lead. At the end of the second frame, Trinity Christian took the win over the Tigers, 25-20.
Gonzalez landed the first kill for Campbellsville, earning an early lead in the third set. Each team went back-and-forth tying the score kill after kill. This did not remain the same for long, as Trinity Christian collected multiple attack errors that brought Campbellsville to the lead for the first time since the opening seconds of the frame. The Trolls did not back down from the attack, tacking on a five-point run and regaining the lead. The following minutes of the frame followed an intense pace, as Trinity Christian held the lead, but the Tigers' kills kept on coming closer to another frame in their favor. Despite Campbellsville's efforts to steal it, the Trolls took set three, 25-22.
Much like the third, the fourth set kicked off with a kill by Gonzalez. JoVeaun Banks blocked Trinity Christian's trial at the kill, keeping steadfast control at the net. Barrionuevo brought the Tigers to the advantage and the Trolls quickly stole the lead with three back-to-back kills. Trinity Christian's drawback was once again their attack errors, counteracting their lead. Banks and Gonzalez took the opportunity to land back-to-back kills, once again assisted by Vega, and regained their place in the winning end of the scoreboard. Banks and Barrionuevo's blocks hindered the Trolls' offense throughout the game, stopping them from pushing forward to steal the lead.
Paugels opened the fifth and final set with a kill. The score quickly tied at three, and at this time, both teams heightened the action on the court to take the victory of the match. Trinity Christian's downfall was consistently characterized by their attack and service errors. Campbellsville's upperhand strongly relied on their avid control at the net, keeping their blocks as one of their biggest strengths on the court. They secured the match victory, 15-13.
Campbellsville finished the first contest with a hitting percentage of .261 and ten blocks, compared to Trinity Christian's .158 hitting percentage and seven blocks. Three Tigers reached double digits during the first game: Gonzalez with 16 kills, Tavares with 14, and Paugels with 12. Additionally, Vega led with 50 assists and Andres Laboy with 20 digs.
GAME TWO: Campbellsville 0, Mount Vernon Nazarene 3
The Cougars gained an early lead in the match, with two kills and an attack error from the Tigers in their favor. Gonzalez landed the first couple of kills of the game for Campbellsville. Mount Vernon did not falter and racked up a few more points, doubling the Tigers on the scoreboard. Mount Vernon was quick to expand the Tigers' deficit back to ten points under the Cougars, closing the set with a loss for Campbellsville, 25-15.
The second set came to a swift and active start for both teams, reciprocating each other's kills and attacks and tying the score with every play. Much like the earlier game, Campbellsville strongly benefited off the Cougars errors, remaining within a couple of points from the lead. As the score tied at 20, both teams' strategy on the court added to the tension on the scoreboard. Although the Tigers' strong offense came close to taking the second set from Mount Vernon, the Cougars came back from a timeout with a fierce kill and won the second set, 25-23.
Campbellsville began the third set with an early lead, ready to strike back to Mount Vernon. After the score tied at five, the Cougars took on a five-point run and stole the lead back from the Tigers. Campbellsville did not back down from the battle, collecting kill after kill by Paugels and Banks. Mount Vernon's tight grasp over the advantage stood in the way of the Tigers' skillful attempts at the win. With a kill and a service ace, the Cougars closed the third set with another win, 25-19.
Campbellsville finished their second match with a hitting percentage of .071 and five blocks, compared to Mount Vernon's .258 hitting percentage and 12.5 blocks. Paugels led the Tigers with eight kills, Vega with 22 assists, and Laboy with 17 digs.
The Tigers will be back in action, taking the road to Jamestown, North Dakota on Friday, February 2nd, to battle the Calumet College of St. Joseph Crimson Wave and the University of California Merced Bobcats, beginning at 2:00 and then at 8:00 p.m. ET.
