CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — Campbellsville University combined 45 kills, nine total blocks and six service aces Wednesday to earn a 25-10, 25-18, 29-27 Mid-South Conference sweep of rival Lindsey Wilson University at Gosser Gymnasium.
- Campbellsville improved to 20-8 overall and 5-2 in Mid-South Conference play, avenging its Oct. 2 road loss to Lindsey Wilson. The Blue Raiders moved to 14-15 overall and 3-4 in the conference.
- The Tigers finished with a 45-27 advantage in kills and outhit Lindsey Wilson.224-.075. Campbellsville held the Blue Raiders to negative -.061 in the first set and .034 in the second.
- Libby Erwin led all players with 16 kills, hitting .275 on 40 attempts while adding six digs and four block assists. She recorded at least four kills in every set, including seven during the extended third frame.
- Riley Thorne and Elif Akcivi each supplied nine kills. Akcivi hit a team-best .304, while Thorne added three block assists and produced 10.5 points.
- Marisa Gallardo anchored Campbellsville's back row with a match-high 18 digs and served four of the Tigers' six aces. Her four aces came during two service rotations that helped Campbellsville build separation in the first set and regain momentum in the third.
- Kati Vest directed the offense with 30 assists while adding nine digs, a solo block, a block assist, and an ace. Campbellsville recorded 39 assists on its 45 kills.
- Campbellsville held a 9-7 advantage in total blocks, led by six block assists from Brooke Hager and four from Erwin. The Tigers also did not surrender a service ace in the match.
Campbellsville scored the first three points of the opening set on kills from Erwin and Thorne. Lindsey Wilson pulled within 4-3 before Gallardo's serve sparked a six-point run featuring an ace, kills from Thorne and Hager, and an Erwin-Hager block that pushed the Tigers ahead 10-3.
The Tigers continued to separate behind Hellman's serve, scoring five straight points to extend the margin to 16-4. Erwin and Hager combined on another block, while Hager and Vest teamed for a rejection later in the run.
Campbellsville moved ahead 22-8 on Vest's ace before kills from Hill and Erwin brought the Tigers to set point. Thorne and Hager then combined on a block to complete the 25-10 opening victory. Campbellsville hit .323 with 13 kills while holding Lindsey Wilson to six kills and eight errors.
The Tigers carried their pressure into the second set, building a 9-3 advantage behind kills from Erwin, Thorne and Hager, a Hellman ace, and blocks involving Hager, Erwin and Vest. Lindsey Wilson reduced the deficit to 10-7 before Campbellsville answered with kills from Akcivi, Thorne and Erwin to move ahead 16-10.
The Blue Raiders again pulled within four at 22-18, but a service error gave Campbellsville the next point. Gallardo followed with an ace, and Erwin closed the 25-18 set with her sixth kill of the frame.
Lindsey Wilson raised its offensive efficiency to .200 in a back-and-forth third set that featured 13 ties. Campbellsville moved ahead 11-8 on an Erwin-Hill block before the Blue Raiders used a five-point run to take a 13-11 advantage.
Gallardo answered from the service line with consecutive aces, giving Campbellsville a 14-13 lead. Lindsey Wilson later scored five straight points to move ahead 18-17, but the Tigers responded with kills from Erwin and Hager and a Blue Raiders attack error to retake the lead at 20-18.
The teams continued to trade points through ties at 21, 24, 25, and 26. With the score even at 27, Hill delivered a kill before Akcivi followed with the match-clinching termination to secure the 29-27 decision and Campbellsville's conference sweep.
Erwin paced the Tigers with 16 kills and four block assists, while Thorne and Akcivi added nine kills apiece. Vest finished with 30 assists and nine digs, Gallardo collected 18 digs and four aces, and Hager contributed five kills and six block assists as Campbellsville earned its 20th victory of the season.
