OAKLAND CITY, Ind. — The #9 Campbellsville University men's volleyball team continued its unbeaten start to the 2026 campaign, securing two hard-fought victories on day one of the Mighty Oak Invite hosted by Oakland City University. The Tigers (8-0) displayed resilience in the opener, overcoming a 1-2 deficit to defeat St. Ambrose University in five sets (25-16, 20-25, 19-25, 25-22, 15-5). In the nightcap, Campbellsville asserted its dominance with a statement 3-0 sweep (32-30, 25-16, 25-23) over #10 Benedictine University Mesa.
- The #9 Campbellsville University men's volleyball team improved to a pristine 8-0 on the season with two victories on Friday.
- The Tigers pulled off a thrilling "reverse sweep" against St. Ambrose (3-2) before sweeping #10 Benedictine Mesa (3-0) in a top-10 showdown.
- Outside hitter Ayoube Hamadache anchored the offense, racking up a combined 35 kills across the two matches.
- Middle blocker Pedro Zavatini was a force at the net, totaling 20 kills on the day, including a dazzling .769 hitting percentage against Benedictine Mesa.
- Setter Alonzo Vega dished out 89 total assists, averaging over 11 assists per set to orchestrate the Tiger attack.
- Campbellsville's defense held the #10 Red Hawks to a .140 hitting percentage in the day's finale.
- The Tigers return to the court on Saturday, February 7th, for day two of the Mighty Oak Invite. They will face Judson University at 5:30 p.m. ET followed by a matchup with Calumet College of St. Joseph at 8:30 p.m. ET.
MATCH ONE: Campbellsville 3, St. Ambrose 2
Campbellsville opened the day with a gritty five-set victory, relying on a reverse sweep to keep their perfect record intact.
The Tigers capitalized on early service and attack errors from St. Ambrose to control the opening frame.
Denzel Madrigal,
Ayoube Hamadache, and
Pedro Zavatini highlighted the offense, terminating balls off feeds from
Alonzo Vega to secure a comfortable 25-16 win.
However, momentum shifted in the second set. Campbellsville struggled with unforced errors, allowing the Bees to establish a rhythm. Despite St. Ambrose committing service errors that kept the score close, the Tigers were unable to reclaim the lead, dropping the set 20-25. The struggles continued into the third, where a back-and-forth battle eventually swung in favor of the Bees, who used a run of unrelenting kills to take a 2-1 match lead with a 25-19 win.
Facing their first loss of the season, the Tigers responded with resolve in the fourth. Hamadache and Madrigal delivered critical kills in clutch moments, holding off a late surge from the Bees to win 25-22 and force a decisive fifth set.
In the tiebreaker, Campbellsville left no doubt. The Tigers exploded for a dominant 15-5 victory, fueled by Hamadache's offensive onslaught and a suffocating block that stifled the St. Ambrose attack.
MATCH TWO: Campbellsville 3, Benedictine Mesa 0
In a marquee top-10 matchup, Campbellsville showcased elite composure to sweep the #10 Red Hawks.
The opening set was an instant classic, featuring high-level volleyball from both squads. Neither team could gain separation as the score pushed well past regulation. With the set knotted at 30-30, the Tigers executed in the clutch to steal the frame 32-30, setting the tone for the rest of the match.
Campbellsville carried that momentum into the second set, hitting .357 as a team. The connection between Vega and his hitters (specifically Zavatini and
Savvas Christou) was seamless. The Tigers capitalized on Red Hawk errors to widen the gap, cruising to a 25-16 win.
The third set saw Benedictine Mesa fight to extend the match, keeping the score tight through the final points. However, Campbellsville's pin hitters, including Madrigal and
Camilo Fernandez, delivered insurmountable kills. Holding a slender lead at 24-23, Hamadache put the match away with a final terminal kill, completing the sweep.
Zavatini was nearly perfect in the middle, tallying 10 kills on 13 swings with zero errors for a .769 hitting percentage. Hamadache led all players with 16 kills, while Vega finished with 43 assists.
