CAMPBELLSVILLE, KY – The (RV) Campbellsville Tigers hosted the #8 Georgetown College Tigers on Tuesday evening. The home Tigers won in five sets, remaining undefeated in conference play.
To start the game, Georgetown got two kills and an ace; the Tigers retaliated with a kill by Trevor Gruner, followed by another kill by Denzel Madrigal to cut the Georgetown lead to 4-2. An ace from John-Marcos Gonzalez, followed by another, tied the set at 5-5. With both teams undefeated in conference play this season, neither gained a significant advantage over the other. Two kills by Georgetown extended their lead to 9-7. Kills from Pedro Zavatini and Gonzalez brought the set to 9-9, but errors by the home Tigers helped put Georgetown back in front, 14-11. A massive kill from Madrigal set Campbellsville up to score two more points, but Georgetown matched those points to remain in the lead, 17-14. Campbellsville worked their way to get within one point of the Georgetown lead with the help of Andres Laboy with a service ace. Georgetown tacked on three more points, bringing the score to 22-19 late in set one. The Tigers put another point on the board with a kill by Zavatini, bringing Campbellsville closer to Georgetown 22-20. Georgetown was able to seal the deal in set one, winning 25-20.
An attack error by Campbellsville gave Georgetown the first point of set two. A service error by Georgetown helped tie the game at 1-1. The Tigers found energy early in the set, taking an early 6-3 lead. Kills-after-kills from Gruner, Madrigal, and two service aces by Aleksa Plevaljcic helped Campbellsville add to their side of the scoreboard. Georgetown answered with a kill of their own. Georgetown cut into the Tigers' lead, capitalizing on mistakes to take a one-point lead. A Gonzalez kill tied the set at 17-17. Exchanging points became a common theme throughout the set, with both teams going back and forth. The score remained tied at 23-23 after a kill by Madrigal. Georgetown responded with a kill, taking a 25-24 lead over Campbellsville. The home Tigers fell in the second set, 26-24.
Georgetown struck first in set three, jumping out on Campbellsville with a 3-1 lead. Campbellsville got on the board with a kill by Gruner, followed by a kill from Mason McKinney. The Tigers brought the intensity in set three, scoring three straight points to bring the score to 8-8. Georgetown scored three consecutive points to enlarge their lead to 13-9. A massive block by Gruner and Zavatini brought Campbellsville within two points. Madrigal slammed his tenth kill, cutting Georgetown's lead to 18-17. Gonzalez got a huge kill and tied the game 20-20. Swiftly after, a kill from Gruner gave Campbellsville a one-point lead, 21-20. With two more points added to Georgetown's side, a kill by Gonzalez tied the game 22-22. Madrigal remained hot in the set, earning his 14th kill to give the Tigers the 25-24 lead. Georgetown battled back and tied the game 25-25. Neither team gained an advantage in extra points, but a statement kill by Gonzalez led Campbellsville over Georgetown, 29-27.
Georgetown got in the scoring category first in set four. Campbellsville answered with kills from Madrigal and Gruner, followed by a service ace from Laboy. Campbellsville held a 7-4 lead heading into a Georgetown timeout. The Tigers extended their lead to 10-5. Gonzalez added to his big day as he got his 15th kill, keeping Campbellsville ahead of Georgetown, 12-7. The Tigers of Georgetown rallied back, tying the game at 14-14. After a kill by Gonzalez and Zavatini, Campbellsville took back midway through the set, 17-14. The Tigers took advantage of Georgetown's errors, extending their lead to 21-16. Campbellsville kept thier foot on the gas, using a statement kill from McKinney to take the fourth set, 25-20.
In the match's final set, the Tigers keep the offense going. A kill by Madrigal gave Campbellsville the first points of the set and a 1-0 lead. Georgetown and Campbellsville would go point for point without gaining a significant advantage. After a block by Gonzalez and Banks, Campbellsville took a 9-6 lead over Georgetown. The Tigers of Georgetown scored three straight points to tie the game 9-9, but a monster kill by Madrigal gave Campbellsville a 13-9 cushion over Georgetown. Campbellsville prevailed over Georgetown, winning the final set 15-12 after a game-sealing kill from Gruner to end the match.
The Campbellsville Tigers were led in kills by Madrigal with 23, Gonzalez with 19, and Gruner with 13. Plevaljcic and Gonzalez both led with three service aces. Plevaljcic also collected 39 assists, while Alonzo Vega had 20. Laboy added 16 digs to his stat line. As a team, Georgetown led in many statistical categories in the even match-up and tied in one: points (87.5-83), kills (68-66), aces (11-9), assists (65-62), digs (46-45), and blocks (8-8).
The Campbellsville Tigers will be back in action tomorrow, Tuesday, March 20th, to take on Brescia University in Campbellsville, Kentucky. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m. ET.
