CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – The Campbellsville University Tigers volleyball team kicked off its 2025 season Friday, splitting a pair of matches on the first day of the Roar & Raid Invite. The Tigers began with a dominant sweep of Spartanburg Methodist College before engaging in a four-set battle with Loyola University - New Orleans, ultimately falling to the Wolf Pack to move to 1-1 on the young season.
- Campbellsville Volleyball opened the 2025 season by splitting their first two Roar & Raid Invite matches, sweeping Spartanburg Methodist before falling to Loyola (New Orleans).
- The Tigers' offense was firing on all cylinders in the opener, hitting for a .388 percentage in the three-set victory over the Pioneers.
- Junior outside hitter Emily Aabye had a monster day, accumulating 28 kills and eight service aces across the two matches.
- The turning point in the nightcap against Loyola was a marathon third set, where the Wolf Pack narrowly outlasted the Tigers for a 31-29 win.
- Brooke Hager was remarkably efficient at the net, posting a .615 hitting percentage in the first match and a .316 percentage in the second.
- Freshman setter Kati Vest made an immediate impact, dishing out 32 assists in the season-opening win and adding another 42 assists against Loyola.
MATCH ONE: Campbellsville 3, Spartanburg Methodist 0
Against SMC, the Tigers came out strong as Elif Akcivi recorded the first kill of the season. Freshman setter Kati Vest proved herself early by confidently running the offense, ultimately finishing with 32 assists. Emily Aabye notched her first kill to make it a 6-8 game and quickly became a dominant force. A big block from Riley Thorne and Sophie Hill helped CU take the opening set 25-15.
The momentum carried into the second set, which saw the Tigers jump out to a commanding lead thanks to a serving run from Olivia Hellman that pushed the score to 10-1. A pair of service aces from Vest extended the lead to 9-18, and Campbellsville went on to win the set 25-16.
In the third set, newcomer Sophie Hill tallied her first kill in a CU uniform to give the Tigers a 9-8 lead. Aabye helped close the match with a run of three consecutive aces to bring the Tigers to match point before a kill from Vest secured the 25-14 sweep. As a team, the Tigers hit an impressive .388 in their first match of the season.
MATCH TWO: Campbellsville 1, Loyola (New Orleans) 3
In the day's second match, Campbellsville came out firing and dominated the first frame. The Tigers used strong transitions and quick attacks through the middle with early kills from Brooke Hager and Sophie Hill. Hitting .438 as a team, the Tigers controlled both sides of the ball and cruised to a 25-11 win.
In set two, Loyola responded by swinging aggressively from the start. Hager notched the first kill for CU to make it 2-1. Despite the Wolfpack pushing ahead, the Tigers rallied to tie it at 7-7 with back-to-back service aces from Aabye. Setter Kati Vest energized her team with a kill to make it 12-10, but Loyola's serving pressure forced Campbellsville out of rhythm, and the Wolfpack evened the match with a 25-20 win.
The third set was a battle. Campbellsville fell behind early, 4-1, but clawed back to take the lead, 8-7. With the Tigers trailing 17-14, two aces from Emily Aabye pulled her team within a point. Loyola made a late push, but CU answered with back-to-back aces from Hana Deticek to tie the set at 19-19. In a thrilling finish that featured ties at 20, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and 29, the Wolfpack finally edged out the Tigers 31-29.
Loyola carried that momentum into the fourth, jumping to a 5-2 lead as CU struggled in serve receive. A kill from Libby Erwin started the scoring for the Tigers, and another from Akcivi kept Campbellsville within reach at 8-7. Despite late kills from Aabye, Loyola's play proved too much as they closed out the match 25-14.
The Tigers continue the Roar & Raid Invite early Saturday morning, first taking on Johnson University (Tenn.) at 9 a.m. ET before hitting the court against Tennessee Wesleyan University at noon.
