- Campbellsville split its opening day at the prestigious Big Sky Volleyball Challenge, upsetting #21 Nelson University in a sweep before falling to host #17 Montana Tech in a five-set thriller.
- The Tigers' offense was explosive in the opener. In the first set against Nelson, the team hit .579 and finished the match with a .295 hitting percentage.
- In their second match, the Tigers put on a clinic in the second set against Montana Tech, winning 25-10 while posting a blistering .517 hitting percentage.
- Junior Emily Aabye led the Tiger offense on the day, tallying 11 kills in the first match and a team-high 15 in the second for a total of 26.
- Setter Kati Vest showcased her versatility against Montana Tech, recording a double-double with 31 assists and 15 digs, adding seven kills, three aces, and two block assists.
- Brooke Hager was a force at the net against the Orediggers, contributing 11 kills, two solo blocks, and five block assists.
- On Friday, day two, Campbellsville kicks things off against (RV) Carroll College at 11 a.m. ET before ending its stint in the state against (RV) Ottawa University (Ariz.) at 3 p.m. ET.
BUTTE, Mont. – The Campbellsville University women's volleyball team made a statement on day one of the 2025 Big Sky Volleyball Challenge, splitting a pair of matches against top-25 competition. The Tigers began the day with a commanding sweep over #21 Nelson University before dropping a hard-fought five-set battle to the host institution, #17 Montana Tech. The tournament features 11 of the top NAIA programs in the country competing at the Butte Civic Center.
Match 1: Campbellsville 3, #21 Nelson University 0
The Tigers opened the tournament with one of their most efficient matches of the young season, sweeping the #21 Lions with scores of 25-10, 25-23, and 25-20.
Campbellsville came out firing, jumping to a 5-0 lead behind a service ace from Kati Vest and two kills from Emily Aabye. The pivotal run came midway through the set when a 4-0 burst on Elif Akcivi's serve, including two aces from Akcivi and two solo blocks from Vest, extended the lead to 15-6 and put the set out of reach. The Tigers hit a staggering .579 in the frame to take it 25-10.
Nelson battled back in a much tighter second set. The Tigers appeared to have control with a 24-19 lead, but the Lions mounted a furious 4-0 rally to close the gap to 24-23. A final attack error by Nelson allowed Campbellsville to escape with the 25-23 win and avoid a momentum shift.
The third set remained close until the very end. With the Tigers holding a slim 21-20 lead, they scored the final four points of the match, sparked by a kill from Aabye and sealed with a kill from Libby Erwin, to complete the sweep 25-20. Aabye finished with 11 kills, while Erwin was nearly perfect with 10 kills on a .562 clip.
Match 2: Campbellsville 2, #17 Montana Tech 3
In a marathon nightcap against the host Orediggers, the Tigers fell short in a five-set thriller (22-25, 25-10, 21-25, 25-22, 8-15).
After dropping a tight first set where a late 7-2 Tigers run closed the gap from 15-22 to 22-24, Campbellsville responded with a near-perfect second frame. The Tigers exploded out of the gate on a 7-0 run, fueled by three kills from Aabye. They never looked back, hitting .517 and cruising to a 25-10 victory.
Montana Tech regained the lead by taking the third set 25-21. The fourth set was a back-and-forth affair until the Tigers' pivotal match-altering run. With the score tied 19-19, Campbellsville unleashed a 5-0 burst, featuring a kill and a solo block by Aabye, to take a commanding 24-19 lead and ultimately force a fifth set with a 25-22 win.
The teams traded points to a 6-6 tie in the final set. From there, the host Orediggers seized momentum with a decisive 8-1 run, fueled by three service aces, to build a 7-14 lead that the Tigers could not overcome, falling 8-15. Aabye again led the team with 15 kills, while Brooke Hager was a force at the net with 11 kills and seven total blocks.
