LEBANON, Tenn. — The #5 Campbellsville University men's volleyball team headed south to take on the Cumberland University Phoenix at the Dallas Floyd Center on Tuesday. Behind a dominating offensive performance from junior middle blocker
Pedro Zavatini, the Tigers survived a grueling five-set thriller (26-24, 25-20, 23-25, 21-25, 15-11) against the Phoenix to earn the road victory.
- Junior middle blocker Pedro Zavatini paced the offense with a team-high 17 kills while shining defensively with six total blocks.
- Outside hitter Savvas Christou recorded 15 kills on a .306 hitting percentage and fired off a match-high six service aces.
- Sophomore outside hitter Ayoub Hamadache also reached double digits, putting down 14 kills to bolster the Campbellsville attack.
- Middle blocker Fernando Rodriguez was a wall at the net, tallying a match-high seven blocks to go along with two kills on a .400 hitting clip.
- Junior setter Alonzo Vega masterfully directed the offense in the marathon match, dishing out a match-high 60 assists.
- The Tigers will look to close out conference play on a high note when they travel to face Georgetown College on Saturday, April 11th.
The opening frame began with the Phoenix dominating on their home court, jumping out to an 8-3 lead over the Tigers. However, a striking kill from Zavatini sparked Campbellsville, igniting a five-point run to tie the set at 8-8. The Phoenix utilized their home-court advantage to pull ahead once more, stretching their lead to 18-13. Refusing to back down, the Tigers chipped away at the deficit. Freshman
Savvas Christou stepped behind the service line and frustrated Cumberland with dominant service pressure, engineering a massive six-point run to give the Tigers a 22-19 lead. Even with the Phoenix refusing to let up, Campbellsville secured the 26-24 first-set victory with a terminal kill from Christou followed by a Cumberland attacking error.
The start of the second set favored Campbellsville, as a pounding kill from senior opposite
Denzel Madrigal awarded the Tigers the first point. From there, the competition was fierce, with the squads trading side-outs point-for-point. The Phoenix managed to pull away for a 17-14 advantage, but were quickly silenced when the Tigers returned the favor with a four-point surge to reclaim an 18-17 lead. Campbellsville carried that momentum through the remainder of the frame, with Christou continuing to show off his lethal serve by closing out the 25-20 set win with an untouchable ace.
Despite trailing 2-0 in the match, the Phoenix did not back down in the third set. The teams engaged in a back-and-forth frenzy, both battling to control the tempo. Without either side able to fully capture the momentum, the end of the third set was full of suspense as the Tigers pushed for the sweep and the Phoenix fought to force extra frames. Ultimately, Cumberland's last-ditch effort was successful, as they edged the Tigers 25-23 to extend the match.
Carrying newfound energy into the fourth set, Cumberland dominated early to build an 11-6 lead. The Tigers struggled to string together enough side-outs to strip the momentum away from the Phoenix. Trailing late, junior setter
Alonzo Vega looked to Zavatini, who put down two crucial kills to inch the Tigers closer. However, despite Campbellsville's fight, the energy Cumberland had built proved to be too much, and the Phoenix captured the fourth set 25-21 to force a tiebreaker.
With the opening of the decisive fifth set, the first point was awarded to the Phoenix, but Vega quickly turned to the hot hand of Zavatini. The middle blocker answered with back-to-back smashing kills to inject energy into the Tigers and prevent a reverse sweep. With both teams fighting for the thrilling victory, the score was knotted at 7-7.
Ayoub Hamadache then ignited the Campbellsville fire with a pounding kill, starting a crucial run that gave the Tigers a 10-7 cushion. From that point on, the Tigers seized control, resembling their dominant form from the early sets. Following a towering combined block from Madrigal and Zavatini, the Tigers earned match point at 14-8. The Phoenix attempted a final push to keep the match alive, but the cushion Campbellsville had created was enough. A final set to Zavatini resulted in the match-ending kill, granting the Tigers the 15-11 fifth-set victory.
