SYLVANIA, Ohio. – The #14 Tigers faced off against the (RV) Lourdes University Gray Wolves and (RV) Olivet Nazarene University Tigers on day two of the Gray Wolf Invitational. After dropping their first showing of the season, Campbellsville collected themselves and delivered impressive performances, sweeping both teams.
Game One: Campbellsville 3, Lourdes 0
Both teams came out swinging, keeping the score even at 3-3. As they worked to find a cohesive effort, multiple hitting errors occurred on both sides. The score remained tight at 10's as a service ace by
Pedro Zavatini energized the Tigers, followed by an overpass kill from
John-Marcos Gonzalez. Throughout the set, there were several lead changes. Lourdes called a timeout at 21-18, but the Tigers held their ground to claim the first set with a 25-23 victory.
The second set mirrored the first, with both teams battling point for point. Lourdes jumped to a 5-2 lead, but multiple attack errors allowed Campbellsville to regain momentum.
Denzel Madrigal had an outstanding performance, notching four consecutive kills to spark the Tigers. A strong run pushed the score to 19-14 in favor of Campbellsville. Lourdes called a timeout at 22-19 as
Alonzo Vega skillfully distributed the ball, keeping the defense on edge. The Tigers maintained their composure and secured the second set, 25-22.
Determined to close out the match, Campbellsville entered the third set with intensity.
Mason McKinney led the charge with four kills and three blocks. The Tigers showed their dominance and clawed their way to victory, taking the set 25-21 and securing the win over the Gray Wolves.
Game Two: Campbellsville 3, Olivet Nazarene 0
Both teams remained close at the start of the first set, but back-to-back stuffs by
Pedro Zavatini ignited the fire Campbellsville needed. With the set tied at 14's, Madrigal and
Ian Gei delivered monstrous kills. In a tightly contested first set, the Tigers widened the gap to claim the set 25-23.
From the early stages of the second set, Campbellsville took control, keeping Olivet Nazarene at bay. The Tigers quickly jumped to a 10-7 lead, firing on all cylinders both defensively and offensively. Despite a hard fight from Olivet Nazarene, Campbellsville secured the second set 25-18.
Much like the second set, the Tigers dominated the court with their offensive and defensive efforts. Olivet Nazarene tried to bounce back, but the Tigers prevailed, sweeping the match by winning the third set 25-17.
The Tigers will be back in action next Friday, January 31st, when they open their home schedule. Campbellsville will take on Reinhardt University Eagles at 4 p.m. ET in Gosser Gymnasium.
- Ayoube Hamadache led the Tigers with 11 kills in the first game while Gei had a team-high 18 kills in the sweep over Olivet Nazarene.
- Alonzo Vega set up the offense consistently, assiting 82% of the Tigers' attacks in the first match's win (28 of 34) and then 79% in the second (31 of 39).
- For the day's matches, Campbellsville's hitting percentage stayed very consistent from .233 in the first game to .203 in the second.
