BUTTE, Mont. – The Campbellsville Tigers concluded their stay at the Big Sky Volleyball Challenge Friday. (RV) Carroll College defeated the Tigers in three sets before Campbellsville fell in a five-set nail-biter to (RV) Ottawa University (Ariz.).

• The Tigers battled through two marathon sets in their five-set finale against OUAZ, winning the fourth set 28-26 after fending off two match points before ultimately falling 16-14 in the fifth.
• Brooke Hager was a force against Carroll College, leading the Tigers with 14 kills on a .400 hitting percentage while adding three blocks.
• The Tigers' front line was formidable against OUAZ, racking up 33 total blocks (seven solo, 26 assists), led by Sophie Hill, who had two solo blocks and ten assists.
• Setter Kati Vest posted her second double-double, recording 40 assists and ten digs in the five-set match against OUAZ.
• The Tigers return to the court for the AMF Memorial Tournament in Upland, Indiana, a week from today. Their first match of three during the two-day stay will be against Taylor University.

Match 1: (RV) Campbellsville 0, Carroll College 3
In the day's opening match, the Tigers fell to a red-hot Carroll College squad in three sets, with scores of 17-25, 23-25, and 22-256.

Carroll College came out firing, hitting .464 as a team in the first set. The pivotal moment came with the score tied 12-12, when the Fighting Saints went on a 6-0 run, fueled by a service ace and several Tiger errors, to take a commanding 12-18 lead and cruise to a 25-17 win. The Tigers battled back in a much tighter second set, even taking a 15-12 lead on a 3-0 run. However, with the score knotted at 22-22, Carroll scored three of the final four points to take the set 25-23. Campbellsville held a late 21-20 lead in the third after a kill from Brooke Hager, but the Fighting Saints closed the match on a 5-1 run to secure the sweep.

Despite the loss, Brooke Hager had a standout performance with a team-high 14 kills on a .400 hitting percentage. Kati Vest orchestrated the offense with 40 assists, and Marisa Gallardo anchored the defense with 17 digs.

Match 2: Campbellsville 2, (RV) Ottawa University (Ariz.) 3
The Tigers concluded their time in Montana with an epic five-set battle against OUAZ, ultimately falling in a heartbreaker (26-28, 25-21, 21-25, 28-26, 14-16).

The match was a marathon from the start. In the first set, Campbellsville held set points at 24-23 and 26-25, but OUAZ scored the final three points to steal it 28-26. The Tigers responded in the second, turning a 10-8 deficit into a 10-13 lead thanks to a six-point serving run from Elif Akcivi that gave them control of the set.

After OUAZ took the third set, the fourth delivered incredible drama. The Tigers faced two match points trailing 24-22, but fought them off to tie the set. After trading points, they won the extended frame 28-26 on back-to-back kills from Akcivi to force a fifth set. In the decisive final set, the Tigers rallied to tie the score at 14-14, but OUAZ scored the final two points to clinch the match 16-14.

Akcivi led a balanced attack with 15 kills, while Hager and Emily Aabye both added 11. Sophie Hill was a force at the net with 12 total blocks.