KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Despite pushing their overall record to a stellar 25-2, the Campbellsville University men's volleyball team dropped one position to #6 in the fifth edition of the NAIA Men's Volleyball Coaches' Top 15 Poll, released Wednesday by the national office.
Since the last poll, Campbellsville has showcased its grit and ability to overcome adversity. Following a tough 3-0 road loss to Oakland City on March 28th, the Tigers immediately responded with a three-match winning streak. Returning to Gosser Gymnasium, Campbellsville swept both Midway University and the University of Rio Grande in dominant fashion. The Tigers then hit the road on April 7th, traveling to Lebanon, Tennessee, where they battled through a grueling five-set marathon to defeat Cumberland University, avenging their first loss of the season and proving their resilience.
Statistically, the Tigers continue to feature one of the most potent and well-rounded rosters in the country. Campbellsville is delivering 13.12 kills per set on an elite .295 team hitting percentage. The offensive distribution is incredibly balanced, with
Ayoub Hamadache (2.81 kills/set),
Denzel Madrigal (2.71 kills/set),
Savvas Christou (2.67 kills/set), and
Pedro Zavatini (2.53 kills/set) all providing heavy volume at the pins and in the middle. Zavatini has been particularly efficient, swinging at a blistering .509 clip while also leading the defense with 0.92 blocks per set.
Junior setter
Alonzo Vega is the mastermind behind the offense, pacing the unit with 11.07 assists per set. Defensively, sophomore libero
Andrew Ovalle anchors the backcourt with an impressive 4.13 digs per set.
The top of the rankings remained steady, with defending champion The Master's (Calif.) holding firm as the unanimous #1 at 18-0. Park (Mo.) stayed put at #2 as the only other undefeated program in the Top 15, while Saint Xavier (Ill.) held the #3 spot. The movement occurred just ahead of the Tigers, as Missouri Valley surged two spots to #4 following a 5-0 stretch, bumping Mount Mercy (Iowa) to #5 and sliding Campbellsville to #6.
The Tigers will look to add one final regular-season victory to their resume when they travel to face Georgetown College on Saturday, April 11th.
| TREND |
RANK |
LAST TIME |
INSTITUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] |
RECORD |
POINTS |
| ● |
1 |
1 |
The Master's (Calif.) |
18-0 |
100 |
| ● |
2 |
2 |
Park (Mo.) |
27-0 |
95 |
| ● |
3 |
3 |
Saint Xavier (Ill.) |
25-3 |
90 |
| ▲ |
4 |
6 |
Missouri Valley |
20-4 |
81 |
| ▼ |
5 |
4 |
Mount Mercy (Iowa) |
20-3 |
80 |
| ▼ |
6 |
5 |
Campbellsville (Ky.) |
24-2 |
79 |
| ▲ |
7 |
10 |
St. Thomas (Fla.) |
21-4 |
61 |
| ▲ |
8 |
13 |
Bethel (Ind.) |
17-4 |
56 |
| ● |
9 |
9 |
William Penn (Iowa) |
17-6 |
58 |
| ▼ |
10 |
7 |
Westcliff (Calif.) |
16-4 |
64 |
| ▼ |
11 |
7 |
Lourdes (Ohio) |
19-4 |
52 |
| ▼ |
12 |
10 |
OUAZ (Ariz.) |
17-4 |
53 |
| ▲ |
13 |
14 |
Georgetown (Ky.) |
17-7 |
43 |
| ▲ |
14 |
RV |
Grand View (Iowa) |
13-7 |
39 |
| ▼ |
15 |
12 |
Reinhardt (Ga.) |
20-6 |
33 |
Dropped from the Top 15: Dordt (Iowa)
Receiving Votes: Dordt (Iowa) 18, Lawrence Tech (Mich.) 16, Indiana Tech 8, Oakland City (Ind.) 8, Benedictine Mesa (Ariz.) 7, Cumberland (Tenn.) 2, Ottawa (Kan.) 2
