CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — Campbellsville University hit .615 to take the second set from No. 24 University of the Cumberlands, but the Patriots used late runs in the first and third frames before controlling the fourth to defeat the Tigers 25-18, 20-25, 25-22, 25-18 Friday at Gosser Gymnasium.
- Campbellsville concluded the regular season at 26-9 overall and 9-3 in Mid-South Conference play, while Cumberlands improved to 28-4 and completed an unbeaten 12-0 conference schedule.
- The Tigers produced 59 kills and a .288 hitting percentage, matching Cumberlands' kill total and finishing only 45 percentage points behind the Patriots' .333 clip. Campbellsville also recorded 57 assists on its 59 kills.
- Campbellsville delivered its most efficient set of the match in the second, totaling 17 kills with one error on 26 attacks for a .615 hitting percentage. The Tigers did not trail after taking a 2-1 lead and led by as many as five points.
- Sophie Hill recorded 13 kills with three errors on 22 swings, hitting a team-best .455 among Campbellsville's primary attackers. She added one solo block and four block assists to finish with 16 points.
- Kati Vest produced 44 assists, eight errorless kills, eight digs, three block assists, and two aces. She converted eight of nine attacks for an .889 hitting percentage and finished with 11.5 points.
- Libby Erwin led Campbellsville with 16 kills and added 10 digs for a double-double. Marisa Gallardo anchored the back row with a match-high 17 digs and contributed seven assists.
- Cumberlands' Brynnley Bryant recorded a match-high 22 kills on a .487 hitting percentage, while Sara Zampedri added 16 kills on a .353 clip. The Patriots made only two attacking errors and hit .375 in the deciding fourth set.
Campbellsville remained within reach throughout the opening set despite falling behind 11-6. Erwin recorded three kills during a five-point stretch that brought the Tigers within 12-11, and kills from
Riley Thorne,
Brooke Hager, and
Elif Akcivi later helped Campbellsville draw even at 17.
The Patriots responded after the tie, scoring eight of the final nine points. Zampedri recorded four kills during the closing run, and two service aces helped Cumberlands pull away for the 25-18 victory.
Campbellsville answered with its sharpest offensive set of the night. Erwin and Akcivi supplied consecutive kills for an early 5-3 advantage, and Hill combined with Vest and Thorne on blocks as the Tigers extended their lead to 10-8.
Hill delivered six kills in the second set, including consecutive terminations that moved Campbellsville ahead 20-15 and later 21-16. Erwin added five kills in the frame, and another Hill termination completed the 25-20 decision.
The Tigers carried that momentum into the third, using Erwin's service rotation to build an 8-3 advantage. Campbellsville forced three Cumberlands attack errors during the run before Hager and Akcivi supplied kills to extend the margin to 11-5.
Cumberlands steadily reduced the deficit and tied the set at 18. Akcivi answered with consecutive kills during a stretch that twice restored one-point Campbellsville leads, and Thorne later tied the frame at 22 with her sixth kill. The Patriots claimed the final three rallies, however, receiving consecutive kills from Bryant to secure the 25-22 set.
The Patriots established a 9-4 advantage early in the fourth and extended the margin to 17-8. Campbellsville responded with a Vest-Hager block, a Hill-Vest block, and two kills from
Kaytlin Miller to trim the deficit to 20-15.
The Tigers moved within five again at 22-17 following Akcivi's kill and a
Celestina Retumban ace, but Cumberlands took three of the final four points. Bryant's 22nd kill completed the 25-18 set and the four-set match.
Erwin paced Campbellsville with 16 kills and 10 digs, Hill finished with 13 kills and five total blocks, and Akcivi added nine kills. Vest totaled 44 assists, eight kills, eight digs, and two aces as the Tigers completed the regular season.
Campbellsville enters the Mid-South Conference Tournament as the No. 2 seed and will host the lowest seed, Bethel University, in the quarterfinals. The match will be played between Nov. 9 and 13, with the date and time yet to be announced.
