CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — Campbellsville University used 10 service aces and 11 total blocks to defeat Bethel University 25-14, 25-20, 21-25, 25-20 in Mid-South Conference action Friday, improving to 16-5 overall.
- Campbellsville held Bethel to a.087 hitting percentage, forcing 25 attack errors across 115 attempts. The Wildcats hit below .040 in the first and fourth sets.
- Elif Akcivi led Campbellsville with 16 kills, hitting .275 on 40 swings and adding seven digs, an ace, and a block assist. She reached five kills in each of the first two sets and finished with a team-high 17.5 points.
- Brooke Hager recorded 10 kills on 16 attacks for a .438 hitting percentage and led the net defense with nine total blocks. She finished with one solo block and eight block assists, accounting for 15 points.
- Campbellsville totaled 11 team blocks, compared with eight for Bethel. The Tigers' net defense helped force Emma Fistarol into eight errors and a -.269 hitting percentage.
- Kati Vest directed the offense with 44 assists, averaging 11 per set, while adding 11 digs, two kills, and four total blocks. Campbellsville recorded 49 assists on 50 kills.
- Celestina Retumban served five consecutive aces to open the match, supplying half of Campbellsville's 10 aces. Marisa Gallardo added two aces and a team-high 12 digs.
- The Tigers responded to their third-set loss by holding Bethel to eight kills and a .034 hitting percentage in the fourth. Campbellsville broke a 14-14 tie with five consecutive points and maintained control to close the match.
Retumban gave Campbellsville immediate separation by serving five consecutive aces to open the match. Bethel reduced the deficit to 5-3, but the Tigers answered with a 12-2 run built around their block and Akcivi's attack.
Hager contributed to four blocks during the surge, including combinations with Vest and Akcivi, while Akcivi delivered four kills to push Campbellsville's advantage to 17-5. Bethel later pulled within seven at 20-13 before
Libby Erwin recorded three consecutive kills during a four-point run. An attack error finished the 25-14 opening set.
The teams exchanged short runs early in the second set before Bethel moved ahead 12-8. Campbellsville answered with six of the next eight points, tying the frame at 14 on a Hager-
Riley Thorne block and taking the lead on a Bethel attack error.
Gallardo extended the run from the service line, adding an ace before Akcivi's kill gave Campbellsville an 18-14 advantage. The Tigers later stretched the margin to 23-15 behind kills from Thorne, Hager, and Vest and another Hager-Vest block. Bethel fought off three set points before Hager delivered the final kill for a 25-20 victory.
Bethel responded in the third set after Campbellsville turned an early deficit into a 9-8 lead. The Wildcats scored five consecutive points to move ahead 13-9, but the Tigers answered with a 7-1 run featuring kills from Akcivi,
Kaytlin Miller,
Sophie Hill, and Hager to take a 16-14 advantage.
The Wildcats regained control with five straight points and later extended their lead to 24-20. Akcivi delayed set point with a kill, but a Campbellsville attack error completed Bethel's 25-21 decision.
Campbellsville built a 14-9 advantage in the fourth behind a balanced attack before Bethel scored five straight points to draw even. Akcivi ended the run with a kill, and the Tigers followed with two Miller-Hager blocks, a Miller kill, and another Bethel attack error to surge ahead 19-14.
Bethel reduced the margin to 21-17, but Hager responded with consecutive kills. Erwin pushed Campbellsville to match point before a Wildcats service error completed the 25-20 set and the four-set victory.
Akcivi led the Tigers with 16 kills, Erwin added 11, and Hager finished with 10 kills and nine total blocks. Vest distributed 44 assists and collected 11 digs, while Gallardo recorded 12 digs and two aces as Campbellsville secured the conference win.
