OAKLAND CITY, Ind. – The Campbellsville Tigers closed their second day in Indiana with a convincing four-set victory over the Mighty Oaks of Oakland City University.
In the opening set, Campbellsville took advantage of early errors from Oakland City, but the Mighty Oaks responded with aggressive serving runs to even the score. The Tigers struggled offensively with hitting mistakes, leading to a deadlock at 15's. However, a late push gave Campbellsville a 19-16 lead and back-to-back kills from Denzel Madrigal secured the set at 25-22.
The Tigers carried their momentum into the second set, coming out strong with Mason McKinney and Ayoube Hamadache kills. A turning point came when Pedro Zavatini delivered a big-time ace, igniting the Tigers' energy. With an early six-point lead, Campbellsville forced Oakland City to call a timeout. The Tigers dominated at the net, recording four blocks in the set, including a monster stuff block to close it out with a commanding 25-16 win.
Oakland City responded in the third set, jumping to an early 4-0 lead. The Tigers struggled to find their offensive rhythm, hitting -.059, and were forced to take a timeout. The Mighty Oaks took control, challenging Campbellsville in all aspects of the game and ultimately taking the set 25-15.
Determined to bounce back, the Tigers entered the fourth set with renewed focus. David Barcan provided a spark with back-to-back kills to even the score at 4-4. Both teams faced difficulties maintaining offensive momentum due to frequent service errors, but Campbellsville found their stride late in the set. A strong push forced Oakland City into a timeout at 22-18, and the Tigers sealed the victory by taking the fourth set 25-20.
Campbellsville will return to action on Friday, February 28th, at 7 p.m. ET, when it hosts Midway University in its conference home opener.
- Middles Zavatini and McKinney were efficient, with Zavatini hitting .357 and McKinney posting a .250 hitting percentage.
- John Marcos Gonzalez and Hamadache led the offense with ten kills each.
