CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — Campbellsville University amassed 15 team blocks and 10 service aces Saturday to sweep Freed-Hardeman University 25-22, 25-12, 25-18 at Gosser Gym, improving to 17-5 overall and 2-0 in Mid-South Conference play.
- Campbellsville finished with 30 block assists, equivalent to 15 team blocks, and did not allow a Freed-Hardeman attacker to record more than eight kills. The Lions finished with 28 kills and a .059 hitting percentage.
- Brooke Hager led Campbellsville with 13 points, producing five kills, eight block assists, and four service aces. Her blocking and serving directly contributed to several of the Tigers' decisive runs.
- Sophie Hill recorded a team-high eight kills without an error on 12 attacks, finishing with a .667 hitting percentage. She also contributed seven block assists for 11.5 points.
- Kati Vest directed the offense with 18 assists while adding four errorless kills on eight attempts, six block assists, four digs, and two aces. Her nine points ranked third among the Tigers.
- Campbellsville served 10 aces against two reception errors, led by Hager's four and two apiece from Vest and Celestina Retumban. Freed-Hardeman recorded two aces and committed nine service errors.
- The Tigers held the Lions to a negative hitting percentage in the second set, forcing 10 errors against nine kills for a minus-.033 clip. Campbellsville hit .360 with 11 kills and two errors in the frame.
- Campbellsville limited Marija Cabadaj, Freed-Hardeman's highest-volume attacker, to eight kills and nine errors on 25 swings. The Tigers' block helped hold four Lions with at least four attempts to hitting percentages of .056 or lower.
Freed-Hardeman scored the opening two points before Campbellsville settled into the first set. A Hager kill gave the Tigers their first lead at 5-4, and
Elif Akcivi followed with an ace before
Libby Erwin added a kill to extend the margin to 7-4.
The Lions tied the set at 7, but Campbellsville responded with five consecutive points behind Hager's serve. Hager and Hill contributed to separate blocks during the run, and Erwin supplied a kill to put the Tigers ahead 12-7.
Consecutive Hill kills later stretched Campbellsville's advantage to 16-9. Freed-Hardeman reduced the margin to 23-22, but a service error gave the Tigers set point before Hill delivered her third kill of the frame to complete the 25-22 decision.
Campbellsville established immediate control in the second set. Hager recorded two kills and consecutive aces during a six-point run that gave the Tigers a 7-1 advantage.
Freed-Hardeman pulled within 10-6, but Campbellsville's block created another separation.
Riley Thorne, Vest, Hill, Hager, and Erwin combined on five blocks as the Tigers moved ahead 22-11.
Hill's fourth kill of the set made it 23-12 before Akcivi supplied a kill, and Retumban ended the frame with an ace. Campbellsville hit .360 and forced 10 Lions attack errors in the 25-12 victory.
The teams played through ties at 6, 8, 9, 10, and 12 in the third set before Campbellsville gained control behind Hager's serve. Erwin's kill gave the Tigers a 13-12 advantage, and Hager followed with an ace to extend the margin to two.
Freed-Hardeman remained within one at 16-15, but Hill and Akcivi answered with consecutive kills. Campbellsville then used back-to-back blocks involving
Kaytlin Miller, Hager, and Vest to push the lead to 20-16.
Hager added a kill before a Freed-Hardeman attack error moved the Tigers ahead 22-17. Akcivi and Erwin supplied Campbellsville's final two kills, completing the 25-18 set and the conference sweep.
Hill led Campbellsville with eight errorless kills and seven block assists, while Erwin added eight kills and three block assists. Hager finished with five kills, eight block assists, and four aces, Vest contributed 18 assists and six block assists, and Akcivi collected a match-high 10 digs as the Tigers remained unbeaten in conference play.
