CAMPBELLSVILLE,
Ky. — The top-seeded Campbellsville University men's volleyball team hosted the #3-seeded Oakland City University Mighty Oaks for the River States Conference Tournament Championship game. The Tigers captured their first conference championship since 2021, and first conference title in the River States, with a clean straight-set sweep against the Mighty Oaks (25-22, 25-20, 25-21
- Senior opposite Denzel Madrigal led the offense, scoring double digits with a match-high 15 kills on a highly efficient .520 hitting percentage.
- RSC Setter of the Year Alonzo Vega masterfully orchestrated the offense with 39 assists, while also putting down five kills of his own.
- Pedro Zavatini, RSC Attacker of the Year, highlighted the attack with a staggering .875 hitting percentage, recording seven kills on eight errorless swings.
- RSC Freshman of the Year Savvas Christou and sophomore outside hitter Ayoub Hamadache bolstered the pins with nine kills apiece.
- The Tigers will be back in action for the NAIA Men's Volleyball National Championship from April 28 through May 2 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Early in the opening set, both teams came out strong, keeping the score tightly contested and exchanging side-outs up to a 13-13 tie.
Ayoub Hamadache and
Denzel Madrigal sank kill after kill, leaving the Mighty Oaks unable to keep them at bay. Oakland City's unforced errors cost them the level playing field, while
Pedro Zavatini and
Camilo Fernandez attacked efficiently from the middle to build Campbellsville's lead. A late kill from freshman
Savvas Christou sealed the first frame in favor of the Tigers, 25-22.
Although the Mighty Oaks scored the first couple of points in the second set, a service error swiftly ignited a scoring run for the Tigers. With terminal kills by
Alonzo Vega and Hamadache, Campbellsville flipped the score and stole the advantage. Oakland City's Bryan Pepen and Thiago Bassani retaliated and decreased the gap on the scoreboard, but Madrigal and Christou took matters into their own hands to reclaim a comfortable lead. The Mighty Oaks capitalized off a couple of attacking errors by the Tigers, but it was not enough to counteract Madrigal's insurmountable offense. Zavatini and Vega's control at the net blocked Oakland City's opportunities to claw their way up the score, allowing Hamadache to bury a final kill and take another set in Campbellsville's favor, 25-20.
Campbellsville came into the third frame determined to seal the deal in straight sets, quickly reaching double digits on the scoreboard with a 10-5 lead. Christou skillfully utilized Vega's assists to push Oakland City further into a deficit. A couple of attacking errors from Campbellsville's side of the court propelled the Mighty Oaks closer to tying the contest, forcing the Tigers to regroup. However, Oakland City's service errors quickly became their demise, repeatedly returning the ball to the Tigers' service line. Christou and Zavatini's attacks late in the game did not stop, eventually securing the 25-21 set victory and the River States Conference Championship for the Tigers.
