COLUMBIA, Ky. – The (RV) Lindsey Wilson volleyball team clinched the Mid-South Conference regular season championship on Tuesday night, defeating (RV) Cumberlands (Ky.) in four sets. The victory also secured the Blue Raiders a perfect 10-0 record at home for the 2024 season, something that had not happened since 2018.
After hitting .111 in the first set, Lindsey Wilson rebounded to hit .375 with 42 kills across the last three sets.
Elisa Burzio paced the host's offensive efforts with 16 kills to go along with 11 digs and three service aces.
Ola Wyrzykowska and
Bella Christófaro chipped in 12 and 11 kills, respectively, and
Laura Milori produced a team-best 19 digs from the back line.
Monika Szwarc passed out 25 assists and
Autumn McCutchen served up four clutch aces.
Cumberlands led throughout a majority of the first set, taking advantage of Lindsey Wilson's early offensive woes. Tied at 13-13, the Patriots went on to outscore the Blue Raiders 12-7 to win the opener, 25-20.
Two service aces by
Luiza Gonçalves pushed Lindsey Wilson out to a 4-0 lead to open the second set. Cumberlands responded to knot the score at 5-5 before the two sides went back-and-forth with one-point leads. Following a timeout by the Blue Raiders, a kill from Christófaro sparked 9-2 run that carried Lindsey Wilson to a 25-18 set victory.
The Patriots grabbed the strong start in the third, building a 7-4 advantage. A kill from Burzio and a subsequent block by Christófaro and
Savanah Pippin brought the Blue Raiders level at 14-14. Cumberlands restored its lead with two straight points, but a service error stopped the Patriots' momentum and sent Lindsey Wilson off and running. A significant 8-0 run created a healthy separation for the Blue Raiders as they powered forward to a 25-20 set win.
The visitors led 5-3 early in the fourth, only for another service error to shift the energy in Lindsey Wilson's favor. An ace by Szwarc to follow turned into an 8-1 Blue Raider rally and the home team never lost control from there on out. Up 24-14, Lindsey Wilson needed to fight off two more Cumberlands' points before a combo block by
Brenda Arango and Christófaro sealed the deal.
The Blue Raiders will conclude their regular season schedule this weekend in Tennessee at 6 p.m. CST against Bethel (Tenn.) on Friday and at 1 p.m. CST versus Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) on Saturday.
