CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky - The Campbellsville Tigers faced off against the Freed-Hardeman Lions Friday night for their fourth conference match-up of the season. A hard-fought match leans in favor of the Tigers, awarding Campbellsville the sweep going into conference play.
Opening the initial set, Campbellsville's Emily Aabye and Brooke Hager grabbed back-to-back kills, both assisted by Jana Krstic. Though the Tigers came out strong, the Lions responded quickly, and both teams found themselves in a hard-fought battle. Midway through the set, Cierra Merrick found a hole in the defense, grabbing her 1,000th career kill. Molly Shannon finished the set with a kill, awarding the Tigers set one, 25-20.
Freed-Hardeman started the second on a slight run, but the Tigers were undismayed and returned with their own 8-1 run. However, comparable to the first set, the teams were back at an even match. The Lions grabbed the lead towards the end of the set, but a late surge from the Tigers put them on top. An error from Freed-Hardeman won the set for Campbellsville, 25-22.
Freed-Hardeman struck first, but an error from the Lions and a kill from Merrick came back and struck harder. Due to Erica Rosario Calderon and Libby Erwin, the Tigers quickly found themselves above the Lions. The Lions did not go down without a fight, but the Tigers clawed their way through, taking the third and final set, 25-21.
The Tigers will be back in action on Saturday, September 28th, hosting the Bethel Wildcats in Gosser Gymnasium. The game is set to begin at 1 p.m. ET.
- Shannon led the team in kills with 12, Jana Krstic assisted the Tigers 41 times and collected four aces, and Merrick led in digs with 13. Campbellsville also had an outstanding ten total block assists.
- Merrick's third kill in the first set of the match marked the 1,000th kill of her collegiate career. She went on to collect a total of eight kills in the match.
- Tonight's match-up between the Tigers and the Lions marked the 11th match played and the sixth win in a row against Freed-Hardeman. Campbellsville's sweep grabbed the fifth sweep of the team's match-up history since 2005.
