WALESKA, Ga. — The (RV) Campbellsville Tigers faced off against Warner University and (RV) Reinhardt University on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers pushed Warner to four sets to win but fell to Reinhardt in four.
GAME ONE: Campbellsville 3, Warner 1
A kill from Warner put the Royals in the scoring category first in set one. The Tigers responded with Gaston Barrionuevo's two service aces and a kill, followed by a kill from John Marcos Gonzalez to take an early 4-1 lead. The Royals answered with points of their own to cut into the Tigers' lead. Campbellsville got help from Denzel Madrigal to extend their lead to 8-4. Warner tied the game at 10-10 with a kill, but Campbellsville quickly got the lead back with an attack error by the Royals. The first set remained point-for-point until a run by Warner kept the Tigers stagnant. Warner took an 18-15 lead over Campbellsville. A kill from JoVeaun Banks ended the Tigers' scoring drought and was awarded another kill to cut the Royals' lead to 20-17. Campbellsville scored immediately coming out of a timeout with another kill by Banks to bring the Tigers within two points late in set one. Warner responded with a kill and an attack error to bring their lead to 22-18. A kill by Mason McKinney brought the Tigers back into the game, but it was not enough. The Tigers dropped set one, 25-22.
In set two, the Tigers took the momentum from the previous set to get off to a hot start. Campbellsville got on the board first with a kill by Gonzalez. Warner answered to tie the game at 1-1. Campbellsville went on to score two straight points on a service error and service ace by Andrew Steinmetz. The lead was relinquished at the 5-5 mark of the game, where Warner went on to score four straight points to give the Royals a 10-7 lead over the Tigers. Campbellsville was ignited with a Gonzalez kill, allowing them to go on a 10-2 run to bring the score to 18-16. Warner worked their way back to tie the game at 19-19. The end of set two was all Campbellsville, where they went on a 5-1 run to end the game with contributions from Trevor Gruner, Andreas Laboy, McKinney, and Gonzalez. The Tigers won set two, 25-20.
The Tigers took an early 2-0 lead over the Royals to begin the third set. Warner came back to tie the game. A kill from Madrigal sparked a scoring run by the Tigers. Campbellsville led for the majority of the third set. The Tigers capitalized on errors by the Royals. Madrigal led the set with kills, and the score read 21-7 in favor of the Tiger. After the Royals' timeout, Alonzo Vega wasted no time being awarded a kill. The trio of Banks, Gruner, and Madrigal helped the Tigers cruise by the Royals, winning set three 25-13.
Campbellsville kept the hot streak alive in the fourth set, scoring the first three points with a kill from Madrigal and a service ace by Gruner. A service error by Campbellsville helped Warner get on the board. The Royals tied the game at 8-8. A kill by Madrigal helped the Tigers take back the lead. Quickly after, Gonzalez tacked on two more kills to extend the Tigers' lead to 14-12 in the middle of set four. The Royals stormed back late, tying the set up at 17-17. A Gruner kill gave Campbellsville the lead back. Warner kept Campbellsville in close range as they tied the game back up at 20-20. After the Royals' timeout, the game remained close until back-to-back kills by Gruner and Gonzalez put a stamp on the match. The Tigers won the fourth and final set, 25-23.
GAME TWO: Campbellsville 1, Lawrence Tech 3
Campbellsville's start remained hot as the Tigers took an early 1-0 lead over the Eagles. The game remained in close quarters throughout the early portion of the set, until a service ace by Madrigal gave Campbellsville the 8-5 lead over Reinhardt. The Tigers took their most significant lead in the set with a ball-handling error by the Eagles to extend the Tigers' lead to 11-6. After the timeout, Gruner wasted no time getting on the board with his first kill of the set. The Eagles answered with a kill of their own, but Campbellsville remained scoreless through the next three points by the Eagles. Campbellsville led throughout the whole set, getting big contributions from Gonzalez, Gruner, and Pedro Zavatini. The Tigers won set one, 25-21.
An attack error by the Tigers put Reinhardt up early in set two. The Eagles followed by scoring three straight points. Despite valiant efforts, Campbellsville struggled to find their rhythm offensively. The Eagles capitalized on early errors by the Tigers, building a lead they wouldn't relinquish. While Campbellsville fought to close the gap, Reinhardt's consistent serving and strong hitting kept them at bay. The Campbellsville Tigers fell short to the Reinhardt Eagles in the second set, dropping the set 25-19.
The Tigers remained stagnant in the scoring category in set three of play. The Eagles took a 4-1 lead early in set three. Campbellsville battled back with two kills and a service ace by Gonzalez to tie the game at 4-4. The Eagles took the lead back quickly, getting two kills, but Madrigal's two kills kept the Tigers in striking distance. The set remained tight throughout. The Tigers' grit and effort were able to help them tie the game at 14-14. Swiftly after, the Eagles took a 21-17 lead before heading into a Campbellsville timeout. After the timeout, a kill by Madrigal cut the lead to three points. The Tigers fought a hard fight but ultimately couldn't get it done, falling 25-21.
An attack error by the Tigers gave the Eagles the first point of the fourth set. Both teams traded points early in the matchup, but Campbellsville quickly fell behind to a 10-4 deficit in the set. An attack error by the Eagles allowed Campbellsville to tie the game up at 14-14. Reinhardt pulled ahead with a service run that forced a Campbellsville timeout. Despite strong defensive plays by the Tigers, including key digs and blocks, the Eagles continued to find holes in the Campbellsville blocks. Although Campbellsville battled back, closing the gap to within a few points late in the set, Reinhardt's sharp hitting and a crucial kill at the end secured the set victory for the Eagles, 25-23.
The Campbellsville Tigers will take to the court on Thursday, April 4th, to take on Cumberland University in Campbellsville, Kentucky. The matchup is set to begin at 6 p.m. ET.
