LAURINBURG, N.C. – The Campbellsville University Tigers took to the road for their first day of play in North Carolina. The Tigers took on the Bobcats of Lees-McRae College, winning in four sets.
A kill from
Joao Tavares started the Tigers off in the first set, followed by a kill from
John-Marcos Gonzalez. The set was point-for-point until the Tigers took a four-point lead,11-7. Kill-after-kill from Lees-McRae brought the Tigers their first deficit of the set, 18-17. Campbellsville fell behind, allowing the Bobcats to extend their lead. A kill from
Gaston Barrionuevo brought the cut the lead to 21-9. A strong push late in the set by Lees-McRae helped them win the first set, 25-21.
The Bobcats took an early 1-0 lead over the Tigers to begin the second set. Campbellsville put the pedal to the metal with kills from Tavares, Gonzalez, and Barrionuevo. The Tigers continued their success to tie the set at 10-10. The score continued to be tied, exchanging the lead many times. With two attack errors from the Bobcats and two Tiger kills, Campbellsville earned four straight points to take the second set, 25-20.
An attack error to open up the third set put Campbellsville on the scoreboard first. The relentless effort by the Tigers kept them ahead of Lees McRae. With a kill from Gonzalez and a big block by
Denzel Madrigal, Campbellsville took a 13-8 lead over the Bobcats. The Bobcats scored two points coming out of a timeout, but Campbellsville would match their points with a kill from Tavares. Campbellsville flipped the switch in set three with big contributions from Tavares, Madrigal, and Gonzalez. Barrionuevo sealed the deal with a kill, putting the Tigers over the Bobcats, 25-15.
With four lead changes, set four began with a hot start. Kills from Barrionuevo and Madrigal kept the score knotted at 5-5. Attack errors by the Tigers helped the Bobcats take a 6-5 lead. A service ace from
Andres Laboy helped Campbellsville gain separation, 11-7. Campbellsville kept the intensity going through late in the set, scoring five more points with kills and blocks by
JoVeaun Banks. Campbellsville took the fourth and final set, winning 25-20.
Gonzalez and Banks led the Tigers with ten kills, respectively. Madrigal and Tavares weren't too far behind, with nine kills each.
Aleksa Plevaljcic collected 31 assists. Campbellsville led in many categories: points (64-45.5), kills (48-37), aces (5-2), blocks (11-6), assists (47-37), and hitting percentage (.305-.099).
The Tigers will be back in action tomorrow, Saturday, March 9th, for the second day of play in Laurinburg, North Carolina. Campbellsville will take on St. Andrews University and Lawrence Tech. The matches are set to begin at 12 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. ET.
