LEBANON, Tenn. — Campbellsville University committed only five attacking errors and hit .476 Tuesday to sweep Cumberland University 25-14, 25-17, 25-17 in Mid-South Conference play at Dallas Floyd Phoenix Arena.
- Campbellsville improved to 25-8 overall and 8-2 in conference play, while Cumberland moved to 17-15 overall and 7-3 in the Mid-South. The Tigers completed the regular-season sweep of the Phoenix after winning the first meeting in four sets.
- The Tigers produced 44 kills with only five errors on 82 attacks for a .476 hitting percentage. Campbellsville hit better than .400 in each set, posting clips of .552, .407, and .462.
- Libby Erwin led the attack with 13 kills and two errors on 26 swings, hitting .423 while adding seven digs and two assists. She recorded at least four kills in every set and finished with a match-high 13 points.
- Riley Thorne delivered 11 kills with one error on 17 attempts for a .588 hitting percentage. She added a block assist and accounted for 11.5 points.
- Kati Vest directed the offense with 30 assists and added four errorless kills on seven attacks, 11 digs, and two aces. Campbellsville recorded 42 assists on its 44 kills.
- Campbellsville served eight aces without allowing one, led by three from Celestina Retumban and two apiece from Olivia Hellman and Vest. The Tigers did not commit a reception error.
- The Tigers held Cumberland to 29 kills and a .163 hitting percentage, forcing 15 attacking errors. Campbellsville limited the Phoenix to nine kills or fewer in the first and third sets.
Campbellsville erased an early 2-0 deficit in the opening set with kills from Erwin and Thorne. Hellman then served an ace during a three-point run that gave the Tigers a 6-3 advantage.
The Tigers extended their lead to 11-6 behind consecutive kills from
Elif Akcivi,
Sophie Hill, and Vest. Cumberland pulled within three at 12-9, but Thorne and Erwin answered with kills to restore Campbellsville's separation.
Campbellsville closed the set with an efficient stretch powered by Erwin, Thorne, and
Brooke Hager. Hager recorded three late kills and an ace before Akcivi supplied the final termination in the 25-14 victory. The Tigers totaled 18 kills and hit .552 in the frame.
Cumberland used a four-point run to build a 5-2 advantage in the second set, but Campbellsville worked back to a 5-5 tie behind its defense and an Erwin kill. The Phoenix again moved ahead 11-8 before the Tigers seized control.
Campbellsville scored nine of the next 10 points, forcing five Cumberland errors while receiving kills from Akcivi, Vest, and Hill. Vest served consecutive aces to complete the run and give the Tigers a 17-12 lead.
Thorne and Erwin combined for four kills during the closing stretch, and consecutive Cumberland attack errors finished the 25-17 set. Campbellsville committed only one attacking error and hit .407 in the frame.
Retumban gave the Tigers immediate command in the third set by serving three consecutive aces. Hill, Erwin, and Vest added kills as Campbellsville extended the lead to 8-3.
The Tigers later turned a 13-7 advantage into a 17-7 margin behind Retumban's serve. Erwin delivered three kills during the four-point run, while Thorne added another termination.
Cumberland cut the deficit to 20-13, but Campbellsville did not allow the Phoenix closer than seven points. Akcivi supplied two late kills, and a Cumberland attack error completed the 25-17 decision and the sweep.
Erwin paced Campbellsville with 13 kills, Thorne added 11 on a .588 hitting percentage, and Hager finished with six kills on a .556 clip. Vest totaled 30 assists, 11 digs, four kills, and two aces as the Tigers concluded the match with eight aces and no reception errors.
