(CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky.) – In front of an electric crowd in the Connor Convocation Center Friday night, the Thomas More University men's volleyball team defeated the Campbellsville University Tigers 3-0 (29-27, 27-25, 25-19). The Tigers are receiving votes to be ranked the in the latest NAIA Coaches' Poll.
- The first set was a nail biter from the start.
- It was 10-10 early on before eventually being locked at 16-16.
- The Saints tried to make a move, using three Tiger errors and a Ben Albers kill (Delhi, Ohio/Elder) to push ahead 20-16.
- However, with the lead at 22-19, Campbellsville would rally back to tie it up at 22-22.
- The Tigers would eventually take a 24-23 advantage and be on the verge of taking a 1-0 match lead.
- A timeout calmed the nerves of the Saints though, as they used an error to tie it back up at 24-24.
- Campbellsville would get to set point again, but the Saints held their ground with a kill from Albers.
- After a few set points for the Saints, they finally broke through, taking advantage of two straight Campbellsville errors and winning 29-27.
- Set two was more of the same between the two teams, as it could have gone either way.
- After trailing 16-15, the Saints took a four-point lead after a 5-0 run that was fueled by an Albers kill, a Landon Tackett (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington Central) ace, and Tigers errors.
- Once again, the Tigers didn't flinch, with the set eventually getting to 24-24.
- Campbellsville would fight off one set point, but a pair of errors would give the Saints the 27-25 win and 2-0 match lead.
- Thomas More really gelled in the final set.
- They led 8-7 early on, but a 5-0 Saints run shifted the momentum completely in their favor.
- Albers and Caleb Lipscomb (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills/St. Francis Brooklyn College) had kills during the rally.
- Lipscomb also had blocks on consecutive points during this stretch, with one solo block and the other assisted by Mason Collver (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville).
- Their lead would stretch to as many as 10 during the set.
- The Tigers would use a 5-0 flurry to try and make it interesting, but it wasn't enough as the 25-19 set win sealed the match win for Thomas More.
- They hit .333 in the third set.
- This is Thomas More's first win over Campbellsville in program history.
- Lipscomb was a game-changer for the Saints.
- Not only did he have eight blocks (two solo, six assists), he had nine kills on 13 swings for a great .615 hitting percentage.
- Jonathan Litzler (Edgewood, Ky./St. Henry) recorded his second straight match with double-digit digs, as he had 12. He has three matches with double-digit digs this season.
- Thomas More had 21 blocks as a team (three solo, 18 assists).
- For the second match in a row, Thomas More had two players with double-digit assists in Conner Young (Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton) and Eli Chambers (Eagle Rock, Calif./Eagle Rock/Santa Monica College).
- Young had 18 to lead the team while Chambers had 10.
Thomas More will take their momentum into a match with the Midway University Eagles on Tuesday night at 6:00 p.m. in the Connor Convocation Center. The Saints are 5-2 all-time against Midway.
