WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. – The Lindsey Wilson volleyball team snapped a three-match losing streak to Cumberlands (Ky.) on Tuesday evening, winning an instant classic in four sets to upset the (RV) Patriots on their home floor.
All four sets played inside the UC Volleyball Gym were decided by the two-point minimum. In fact, neither side led by more than five points at any time during the match.
Ola Wyrzykowska posted her second consecutive double-double and fourth of the season, totaling 14 kills and 18 digs, while
Savanah Pippin moved into ninth place all-time on the program's career blocks list with her seven on the night. The senior also added 13 kills.
Luiza Goncalves recorded a second double-double in three appearances with her match-high 44 assists and 16 digs.
Elsewhere defensively,
Wiktoria Stankiewicz paced both teams with 22 digs,
Elisa Burzio contributed 14 digs and five blocks, and
Lara Danesi finished with 16 digs and nine kills.
As a team, Lindsey Wilson's 91 total digs are the most in a match since September 27, 2022, also against Cumberlands.
From the opening serve, the action on the court was back-and-forth. The Blue Raiders found light in the Patriots' errors and built a 15-10 lead midway through the first set. The five-point lead forced a Cumberlands' timeout, out of which the hosts slowly climbed back to knot the score at 23-23. Lindsey Wilson earned the finishing touch in the first frame with the help of Burzio, scoring the next two points.
Cumberlands led 10-7 early in the second and carried its momentum deep into the final moments of the set. Trailing 23-19, the Blue Raiders mounted a late charge with a 6-1 run to earn a set-point opportunity. However, the Patriots regained control to go on a three-point swing and tie the match at 1-1.
Lindsey Wilson overcame multiple deficits in the third set, including a 5-1 run down the stretch to go ahead 23-22. A timeout by the home team briefly turned the tables back in its favor, but a kill from Pippin followed by back-to-back Patriot miscues cleared the way for the Blue Raiders to take the all-important, tie-breaking third, 27-25.
Cumberlands led by as many as four points in what proved to be the final frame. After a Patriots' kill to put them in front, 11-7, a counterstrike off the hand of Wyrzykowska sparked a 5-0 Lindsey Wilson rally to pull the Blue Raiders right back in contention. A neck-and-neck fight to the finish came down to kills from
Elizabeth Moore and Danesi to seal the deal.
Tuesday night's victory extends Lindsey Wilson's current winning streak to six matches, the longest since 2021.
The Blue Raiders continue their Mid-South scheduled at 6 p.m. CST on Friday, September 20 when Georgetown (Ky.) comes to Columbia for a "Black Out!"
