RIO GRANDE, Ohio. – The (RV) Tigers were on the tail of winning nine of their last matches, facing the Rio Grande University Red Storm on Saturday. After going to five sets, and
Andres Laboy cementing the record for most sets played by a Tiger in a season, Campbellsville took the hard-fought win, 3-2.
From the early stages of the game, the Red Storm got ahold of the lead. The Tigers stayed close behind, only a couple of points away from catching up. Rio Grande's errors propelled Campbellsville closer to the advantage, but not enough to win the set, losing to the Red Storm, 25-21.
The Tigers only gained momentum as the second set came around, claiming the lead from the opening of the frame.
Pedro Zavatini and
Denzel Madrigal's kills preserved Campbellsville's lead, despite their efforts to steal the advantage. Rio Grande tied the score with a service ace, but the Tigers did not falter at the sight of trouble.
JoVeaun Banks collected kill after kill that amplified Campbellsville's upper hand. The Tigers won the second frame, 25-21.
John-Marcos Gonzalez began the third set with an avid kill.
Aleksa Plevaljcic's assists brought the Tigers forward, as the Red Storm were unable to deter them from the lead. Campbellsville continued to grow Rio Grande's deficit on the scoreboard. However, the Red Storm quickly retaliated and tied the score over and over again. At the end of the set, Rio Grande won the set 28-26.
The Tigers did not allow the result of the third frame to stop them from attacking the Red Storm. Zavatini sank kill after kill, doubling Rio Grande on the scoreboard. The Red Storm could not keep up with the swiftness of Campbellsville at the net, despite their eager attempts to block their attempts to score. Although they managed to tie the score at 21, the Tigers clawed their way up to the lead, winning the fourth set, 25-23.
The tension on the court was palpable as the fifth set rolled around. Rio Grande attacked Campbellsville with three back-to-back points, as the Tigers were yet to score. The Red Storm's errors continued to be their demise, setting them back on their acquired lead. Banks and
Alonzo Vega took the opportunity to strike Rio Grande with avid kills, winning the fifth set, 16-14.
Campbellsville finished the match with a hitting percentage of .281 and 7.0 blocks, compared to Rio Grande's .230 hitting percentage and 12.0 blocks. Madrigal led the Tigers with 24 kills, Laboy with 28 digs, and Plevaljcic with 42 assists. With this contest, Laboy is now the Campbellsville University Men's Volleyball program record-holder for sets played in a season. Earlier in the year, he also set the program records for digs in a season and digs in career.
The Tigers will be back in action, Tuesday, April 9th, traveling to Georgetown, Kentucky to battle the Georgetown College Tigers, beginning at 5 p.m. ET for their second-to-last game before postseason play.
