COLUMBIA, Ky. – The (RV) Blue Raider volleyball team locked up the second seed in the Mid-South Conference standings and sent its senior class off on a high note on Tuesday evening, avenging an earlier loss by sweeping Campbellsville (Ky.) for the first time since April 9, 2021.
Lindsey Wilson bested the Tigers 0.224 to 0.136 on the attack and 6-3 from the service line.
Seniors
Ola Wyrzykowska,
Luiza Gonçalves, and
Wiktoria Stankiewicz were at the forefront of the home team's success. Wyrzykowska hit 0.372 with 17 kills and two service aces, Gonçalves recorded her seventh double-double of the year behind 28 assists and 11 digs, and Stankiewicz, in just her seventh appearance of the year, had a team-high 15 digs. Another Blue Raider senior,
Monika Szwarc, finished with five assists, three digs, and two service aces.
Marija Raonic also locked down double-digit kills with 10, and
Ana Clara Beltran Sacca led Lindsey Wilson at the net with four blocks.
Set one teeter back-and-forth and neither side could break away from the other. A 6-1 Campbellsville run late gave the Tigers a 21-18 lead. A kill by Sacca and ace from Szwarc got the Blue Raiders back to within one, then
Ava Blomenberg put down a kill followed by a Campbellsville error to knot the score at 22-22. After a Tigers' timeout,
Layla HuYoung subbed in and aced the visitors' back line. Another Tiger attacking error earned Lindsey Wilson its first set-point, which Campbellsville thwarted, but Wyrzykowska hit back for her sixth kill of the set to clinch the first, 25-23.
Two kills off the hands of Raonic helped shape a 5-1 start to the second set. Campbellsville, however, was swift to respond and used a six-point run to go up 11-8. The Blue Raiders stayed within striking distance as the Tigers continued to hold their lead. Trailing 22-19 out of a timeout, Wyrzykowska struck to trigger a 6-1 Lindsey Wilson scoring run. She went on to add two more kills during the rally before Raonic ended the set with a kill of her own.
The third set was tied at 6-6 when Wyrzykowska opened a four-point spurt with another kill. Sacca followed in kind and Szwarc chipped in an ace to cap to make the score 10-6. More successful spikes from Gonçalves, Wyrzykowska, and Raonic only padded the host's lead, and a 5-0 run improved the score to 18-10. Campbellsville pieced together a 7-2 run to trim down Lindsey Wilson's advantage, but four of the last seven points came off kills from Wyrzykowska, Gonçalves, and
Natalie Wandrie to seal the match.
The Blue Raiders turn their attention to the Mid-South Conference tournament, which is scheduled to begin on Thursday, November 13 in Bowling Green. The official conference tournament bracket is due to be released later this week.
