BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — The Campbellsville Tigers made quick work of the Freed-Hardeman Lions in the opening round of the Mid-South Conference Tournament, gutting out a straight-set sweep in a match that was anything but easy.
- Campbellsville advanced to the Mid-South Conference Semifinals with a 3-0 sweep over #6 seed Freed-Hardeman (25-22, 25-23, 26-24).
- The Tigers' offense was powered by the middles, as Sophie Hill (nine kills, .500 hitting) and Madison Farmer (nine kills, .438 hitting) were dominant and efficient.
- Campbellsville showed incredible poise, winning three consecutive high-pressure sets that were all decided by the slimmest of margins.
- After trailing 21-20 in the second set, the Tigers rallied behind back-to-back kills from Elif Akcivi to steal the set 25-23.
- Setter Kati Vest was masterful, guiding the offense to a .276 hitting percentage with 38 assists.
- The #3 seed Tigers will now face the #2 seed Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders in the semifinals on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Campbellsville opened the quarterfinal, and Freed-Hardeman settled in to tie the set at nine. The Lions took a 16-15 lead before the Tigers sparked a 4-0 run, capped by a kill from
Mya Leach to force a Lions timeout at 19-16. Freed-Hardeman fought back to tie the score at 22-22, but the Tigers stayed composed, closing the set 25-22 on a kill from
Madison Farmer.
Campbellsville carried that energy into the second, jumping out to a 3-0 lead behind kills from
Emily Aabye and
Sophie Hill. The Tigers built a 20-14 lead before the Lions mounted a shocking 7-0 run, fueled by serving, to take a 21-20 lead. Campbellsville, refusing to panic, tied the score at 23-23 and then stole the set 25-23 on back-to-back kills from
Elif Akcivi.
Looking for the sweep, the Tigers struck first in the third, though the teams traded points to 7-7. Campbellsville built an 18-14 lead, forcing a Lions timeout, and an ace from
Claire Hammond extended the lead to 20-14. Freed-Hardeman mounted one last surge, fighting off multiple match points to tie the set at 24-24. The Tigers, however, refused to let the momentum slip away, securing the sweep with a 26-24 victory on a final block from Aabye and a Freed-Hardeman error.
The Tigers now advance to the MSC Semifinals, setting up a collision course with the #2 seed Lindsey Wilson Blue Raiders on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.
