HENDERSON, Tenn. — Campbellsville University hit .284 and recorded 11 team blocks Friday to sweep Freed-Hardeman University 25-21, 25-21, 25-17 in Mid-South Conference play at Brewer Sports Center.
- Campbellsville improved to 24-8 overall and 7-2 in Mid-South Conference play, completing the regular-season sweep of Freed-Hardeman after winning the first meeting Sept. 26.
- The Tigers finished with advantages in kills, 42-29; hitting percentage, .284-.063; digs, 48-38; and team blocks, 11-8.5. Campbellsville committed 13 attacking errors while forcing Freed-Hardeman into 22.
- Libby Erwin led Campbellsville with 11 kills on a .364 hitting percentage, adding five digs, two aces, and a block assist for a match-high 13.5 points.
- Kati Vest produced 28 assists, seven kills, eight digs, four block assists and an ace. She committed one attacking error on 11 attempts to finish with a match-best .545 hitting percentage among players with at least five swings.
- Sophie Hill and Brooke Hager combined for nine errorless kills and 10 block assists. Hill recorded five kills on a .385 clip with six block assists, while Hager hit .444 with four kills, one solo block and four block assists.
- Campbellsville produced its strongest offensive set in the third, recording 17 kills with two errors on 36 attacks for a .417 hitting percentage. The Tigers finished the match on an 8-2 run after Freed-Hardeman reduced its deficit to five.
- Marisa Gallardo anchored Campbellsville's floor defense with a match-high 16 digs, while Celestina Retumban added eight. The Tigers held five Freed-Hardeman attackers to hitting percentages of .000 or lower.
Freed-Hardeman scored the first six points of the match behind two service aces and two kills from Becca Heineman. Campbellsville began cutting into the deficit with kills from Erwin, Vest and Hill, then drew within 12-10 on consecutive terminations from Erwin and Hill.
The Lions rebuilt their advantage to 17-13 before the Tigers scored two points behind
Olivia Hellman's serve. After Freed-Hardeman moved ahead 19-17,
Elif Akcivi and Erwin combined for three consecutive kills before Vest's ace put Campbellsville in front 21-19.
Freed-Hardeman tied the frame at 21, but Akcivi restored the lead with a kill. A Hill-
Riley Thorne block, followed by kills from Hill and Erwin, completed Campbellsville's closing four-point run and secured the opening set 25-21.
The teams traded sideouts throughout the early portion of the second set before Campbellsville turned a 10-9 lead into a 14-10 advantage. A
Kaytlin Miller-Hill block began the stretch, and the Tigers forced two additional Freed-Hardeman attacking errors.
The Lions responded with a 7-3 run to tie the set at 17, but Vest delivered a kill to end the surge. Akcivi followed with a termination, and an attacking error moved Campbellsville ahead 20-18.
Freed-Hardeman tied the set again at 21 before a service error returned the lead to Campbellsville. The Tigers closed with another four-point run, receiving an Erwin kill and a Miller-Hill block to claim the second set 25-21.
Campbellsville gained control earlier in the third. After five ties through the first 10 rallies, the Tigers used kills from Akcivi, Vest and Hager to move ahead 8-6. Hill,
Hana Deticek and Erwin later supplied consecutive kills during a five-point run that extended the advantage to 13-8.
Gallardo's service rotation produced four more points, including a Hager kill and a Hager-Deticek block, as Campbellsville stretched its lead to 17-9. Freed-Hardeman narrowed the margin to 20-15, but Vest stopped the run with a kill.
Akcivi recorded three kills during Campbellsville's final four points, including consecutive terminations to close the 25-17 set and complete the sweep. The Tigers hit .417 in the frame while holding the Lions to a .100 clip.
Erwin paced Campbellsville with 11 kills, Akcivi added nine, and Vest finished with seven kills and 28 assists. Gallardo collected 16 digs, while Hill and Hager helped the Tigers compile 11 team blocks as Campbellsville earned its 24th victory of the season.
