BARBOURVILLE, Ky. — Campbellsville University held Union Commonwealth University to a .053 hitting percentage Thursday and used efficient production from
Elif Akcivi,
Brooke Hager, and
Kati Vest to sweep the Bulldogs 25-22, 25-13, 25-21 and improve to 13-4.
- Campbellsville held Union Commonwealth to 30 kills and a .053 hitting percentage, forcing 24 attack errors across 114 attempts. The Bulldogs hit .000 in both the second and third sets.
- The Tigers hit .243 with 41 kills, surpassing Union Commonwealth by 11 kills despite taking 11 fewer swings. Campbellsville improved its efficiency from .194 in the opening set to .286 in the second.
- Elif Akcivi led the Tigers with 11 kills and 12 digs, producing her second consecutive double-double. She also contributed three block assists and finished with a match-high 12.5 points.
- Brooke Hager continued her efficient play with seven errorless kills on 12 attempts, good for a .583 hitting percentage. She added a block assist and has now committed no attacking errors over Campbellsville's past three matches.
- Kati Vest distributed 30 assists while converting all five of her attacks for a .714 hitting percentage. She also recorded six digs and a service ace.
- Campbellsville finished with 10 block assists, led by four from Sophie Hill and three from Akcivi. The Tigers' net defense helped force four Union Commonwealth attackers into negative hitting percentages.
- Marisa Gallardo anchored the floor defense with a match-high 15 digs and served two of Campbellsville's three aces. The Tigers finished with a 52-40 advantage in digs.
Campbellsville established an early advantage in the opening set behind Gallardo's serve. Her ace began an eight-point run that transformed a 2-1 lead into a 9-1 margin, with an Akcivi-Hill block and a kill from
Riley Thorne contributing to the surge.
Union Commonwealth answered by erasing the deficit and tying the set at 17. Campbellsville regained the lead on a service error before Vest and Hill produced consecutive kills to make it 20-17.
The Bulldogs twice pulled within one during the closing stretch, but Akcivi gave the Tigers set point with her third kill before a Union Commonwealth attack error completed the 25-22 decision.
Campbellsville controlled the second set from the outset, scoring the first four points and extending its advantage to 10-4 on consecutive kills from
Libby Erwin and Vest. The Bulldogs cut the margin to 10-8 before the Tigers answered with five straight points, highlighted by kills from Akcivi and Thorne and a Vest ace.
Union Commonwealth narrowed the margin to 18-12, but Campbellsville closed the set on a 7-1 run. Gallardo supplied an ace, Akcivi and Hill combined on a block, and consecutive points from Vest and Hill finished the 25-13 victory.
The Tigers created separation midway through the third set, turning a 7-5 lead into an 11-5 advantage as
Hana Deticek's service rotation produced three consecutive Union Commonwealth attack errors. Campbellsville later stretched its lead to 21-14 behind an Erwin-Hill block.
The Bulldogs responded with five of the next six points to pull within 22-19, but Hill ended the run with a kill. Union Commonwealth drew within two at 23-21 before an attack error, and a kill from
Kaytlin Miller secured the 25-21 set and Campbellsville's second consecutive sweep.
Akcivi paced the Tigers with 11 kills and 12 digs, while Hager added seven errorless kills. Erwin and Hill finished with six kills apiece, Vest recorded 30 assists and five kills, and Gallardo collected 15 digs as Campbellsville limited Union Commonwealth to nine kills and nine errors over the final set.
