JAMESTOWN, N.D. – The Campbellsville University continued their campaign in Jamestown, North Dakota, Saturday afternoon. The Tigers took on Dordt University and the University of Jamestown, sweeping Dordt University 3-0 and falling 3-2 to the University of Jamestown.
GAME ONE: Campbellsville 3, Dordt 0
Campbellsville took the first point to begin set one, capitalizing on the Defenders' attack error. Kills from John-Marcos Gonzalez, Denzel Madrigal, and Alvaro Grande aided the Tigers to take an early lead over the Defenders. The Tigers maintained control throughout the entire set, winning 25-19.
Much like the first, Campbellsville took the first five points of the second set. Kill-after-kills came from Gonzalez, Pedro Zavatini, and Trever Gruner to account for four Tiger points. With Dordt catching up, the Tigers continued to pull away point-by-point until the set was tied at 13-13. The Defenders took control of the lead, 15-13. Back-to-back kills from Zavatini and Gruner gave the lead back to the Tigers. The set continued to go back and forth, with each team getting the go-ahead point. After earning two points in a row, the Tigers take set two, 25-23.
Back-to-back Gonzalez kills set the tone for the third set. After tying the set at 6, the Tigers took a four-point lead. The Defenders attempted to make their way back, but the Tigers continued to maintain their lead. Dordt's attempt seemed good, tying the match at 20-20. The teams traded the lead for the remainder of the set before the Tigers took the final points, winning 25-22.
Campbellsville ended the day's first match with a .374 hitting percentage, 47 total kills, 44 total blocks, and 30 total digs. The Tigers were led in kills by Gonzalez with 17 and Gruner and Madrigal with ten each. Alesksa Plevaljcic led with 39 assists, and Andres Laboy led with 11 digs.
GAME TWO: Campbellsville 2, Jamestown 3
The Jimmies opened the first set with two points from an ace and an attack error from the Tigers. Joao Tavares, John-Marcos Gonzalez, and Gaston Barrionuevo collected kill after kill to tie the score and catch up with Jamestown. The Jimmies continued to keep ahold of the lead, but Campbellsville did not trail too far behind on the scoreboard. The Tigers gained the upper hand after tying at 17, but Jamestown took on a four-point run and stole the lead back from Campbellsville. The Jimmies took the first set over the Tigers, 25-20.
Much like the first, Jamestown obtained an early hold over the lead. Alonzo Vega swiftly passed the ball to his fellow Tigers, resulting in kills for Campbellsville from Gonzalez and Barrionuevo. With two errors by the Jimmies and another kill from Gonzalez, the Tigers stole the lead from Jamestown. With a five-point run, Campbellsville reached 25, taking the second set, 25-21.
The Jimmies won an early hold on the lead in the opening moments of the third frame. Tavares' avid control at the net tied the score at eight with a block. The Tigers racked up kill after kill, amplifying their lead. However, an attack error from Campbellsville tied the score at 19. Both teams scored back-and-forth in the following moments of the frame, tying the score and stealing control over the lead. After intensive tension on the court, the Tigers took the third set, 26-24.
The fourth set began with even scoring from both teams, but Jamestown quickly retaliated and pushed forward on the score. The Jimmies reached double digits on the scoreboard, while Campbellsville was yet to make it past three points from the opening moments of the frame. Jamestown quickly got a 10-point advantage over the Tigers. Going into the fifth and final set, the Jimmies took set four, 25-14.
Campbellsville got the first kill in the fifth set. Jamestown quickly struck back with their own kill, evening the score early in the frame. Both teams kept strong control at the net and steadfast moves with the ball, preventing each other from getting too far ahead and always remaining no more than two points away from one another. At the end of the fifth set, the Jimmies took the last win, 15-10.
Campbellsville finished the second match with a hitting percentage of .226 and 10.0 blocks, compared to Jamestown's .252 hitting percentage and 11.0 blocks. Three Tigers reached double digits during the first game: Barrionuevo and Gonzalez with 16 kills each, Vega with 48 assists, and Laboy with 26 digs.
The Tigers will be back in action, taking the road to Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Friday, February 16th, to battle the Aquinas College Saints, beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
