RIO GRANDE, Ohio. — The #4 Campbellsville University men's volleyball team hit the road to take on the University of Rio Grande RedStorm at Newt Oliver Arena on Saturday. Showing off their discipline, the Tigers took a clean sweep victory (25-19, 25-23, 25-16) over the RedStorm to continue their overwhelming success and extend their undefeated season to 18-0.
- The #4 Campbellsville University men's volleyball team advanced its historic perfect season to 18-0 overall and 6-0 in conference play.
- Freshman middle blocker Fernando Rodriguez was an offensive threat at the net, tying for the match-high with 10 kills on an impressive .714 hitting percentage.
- Pedro Zavatini and Ayoube Hamadache added to the production with nine kills each, hitting .800 and .500, respectively.
- The success of the Tigers' offense came from the hands of setter Alonzo Vega, who orchestrated the attack with a match-high 37 assists.
- Sophomore libero Andrew Ovalle continued his impressive season in the backcourt, recording a match-high 14 digs.
- Campbellsville will seek to keep its winning streak alive with another conference game on the road against Indiana University East on Friday, March 13.
With the initial serve of the first set, both teams came out aggressively, trading side-outs point-for-point for the first half of the frame. The Tigers were able to create separation, going on a crucial three-point run highlighted by back-to-back terminal kills from sophomore outside hitter
Ayoube Hamadache to extend the lead to 15-11. From then on, the Tigers seized control, firing on all cylinders to secure a dominant 25-19 set win capped by a powerful swing from senior opposite
Denzel Madrigal.
Rio Grande started the second set with a determination to compete with the Tigers, applying service pressure and gaining an early 6-4 advantage. However, Campbellsville did not crumble under the RedStorm's early surge. The squads stayed close, trading offensive kills back-and-forth for the majority of the frame. Setter
Alonzo Vega continued to distribute the ball seamlessly, setting up hitters like Hamadache and junior middle blocker
Pedro Zavatini to find the open court. The competitiveness only grew down the stretch as both teams fought for control. Knotted at 23-23, Campbellsville found clutch success with a go-ahead kill from Hamadache before a final attacking error from Rio Grande ended the set 25-23 in favor of the Tigers.
Despite dropping the second set, the RedStorm started the third with an offensive surge, jumping out to a 5-1 lead. Needing to get Campbellsville back into a rhythm, Madrigal and
Fernando Rodriguez collaborated on a string of kills to bring the Tigers back within a single point. Both teams continued to battle at the net before the Tigers eventually broke away, establishing a comfortable 15-11 cushion to slow down the RedStorm's momentum. Despite a late push by Rio Grande, the Tigers ended the match with a booming kill out of the middle from Zavatini, finalizing the 25-16 set victory to sweep the RedStorm on their home court.
