GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Campbellsville Tigers continued their stint in Michigan, battling Cornerstone University and Olivet Nazarene University on Saturday. The Tigers fought hard but fell to the Cornerstone Golden Eagles in three sets on Saturday. Campbellsville then took down the Tigers of Olivet Nazarene in five sets.
GAME ONE: Campbellsville 0, Cornerstone 3
John-Marcos Gonzalez began the first set with a first-point kill for the Tigers. Though other kills came from Joao Tavares, Alvaro Grande, Gaston Barrionuevo, and many services aces, the Golden Eagles took the first set, 25-22.
Unlike the first set, the first point was awarded to Cornerstone in the second set. With the help of many errors from the Golden Eagles and kills from Tavares, Gonzalez, Neels Paugels, JoVeaun Banks, and Trevor Gruner, the Tigers attempted to take the second set but came up short. The set ended the same as the first, 25-22 in favor of Cornerstone.
The Tigers were awarded the first two points to begin the third set. The Tigers held the lead until Cornerstone tied the set at 9-9. The Tigers and the Golden Eagles matched point-for-point until Campbellsville gained a two-point lead at 13-11. Despite their best efforts with kills from Banks, Tavares, and Gonzalez, the Tigers fell behind Cornerstone. A final kill from Gruner wasn't enough for the Tigers, falling in the final set 25-22.
For the match, the Tigers were led in kills by Gonzalez with 11, Tavares with nine, and Gruner with five. Gonzalez also had three aces and two digs. Alonzo Vega had 30 assists, and Banks had six blocks.
GAME TWO: Campbellsville 3, Olivet Nazarene 2
A kill from Pedro Zavatini awarded Campbellsville the first point to begin set one. Kills from Denzel Madrigal and Banks, plus attack errors from Olivet Nazarene, helped Campbellsville take a six-point lead. The final point of the set was awarded to Campbellsville from an Olivet service error, giving the first set to Campbellsville 25-19.
In contrast to the first set, Campbellsville fell behind, with the first four points being awarded to Olivet. The following three points for Campbellsville came from three kills: Jariel Diaz, Zavatini, and Madrigal. Several errors from Olivet, Campbellsville tried to work their way back to the lead, but more was needed. Campbellsville dropped the second set, falling 25-21.
The third set started point-for-point until Campbellsville took a five-point lead over Olivet. While Olivet continued to work their way into the lead, Campbellsville held them off until the set was tied at 18-18. The set went back and forth through the 25-point mark. A kill from Gonzalez gave Campbellsville the two-point lead they needed to take the set, winning 30-28.
After a long-winded third-set victory, Olivet held the lead for the entirety of the fourth set. Many kills and service aces from Campbellsville couldn't cut into the early lead, falling 25-23.
Campbellsville collected the first two points on Olivet errors to begin the fifth and final set. A kill from Zavatini and a service ace from Paugels propelled Campbellsville into a three-point lead. Many attack errors from Olivet increased Campbellsville's lead. Four final kills led Campbellsville to victory: Gonzalez, Zavantini, Banks, and Barrionuevo. Campbellsville took the fifth set, 15-12.
Gonzalez led Campbellsville with 14 kills and four aces, Aleksa Plevaljcic with 29 assists, and Andres Laboy with 24 digs. Campbellsville led over Olivet in some statistical categories: digs (63-56)and aces (8-3).
The Tigers will return to the court to take on the Brescia University Bearcats on Tuesday, February 20th, in Owensboro, Kentucky. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m. ET.
