The Thomas More University men’s volleyball team suffered a narrow defeat to the Campbellsville University Tigers in a closely contested road contest on Thursday night. The Saints dropped the match 3-2 (20-25, 25-20, 19-25, 25-17, 15-6), which takes their overall record to 9-5 and 3-3 in the Mid-South Conference.
In the first set, the Saints got off to a strong start, taking a 15-10 lead after a Dominic Rossi kill. The lead grew to 20-13, with Caleb Lipscomb contributing two kills in the final five points that led to a set victory for Thomas More.
However, the Tigers fought back in the second set, taking a 17-12 lead before the Saints cut the lead to one with a 4-0 run. Despite their best efforts, Thomas More couldn’t tie the set and went into the third tied at 1-1.
The Saints then jumped on the Tigers in the third set, getting off to a 12-4 start thanks to several Campbellsville mistakes. The closest the Tigers came to tying the set was within three points, as Thomas More took a 2-1 match lead.
Campbellsville was ahead early and often in set four, leading the Saints 4-3 in the fifth. However, a 10-0 Tiger run that included five aces proved too much for Thomas More to overcome, and they dropped the set 15-6.
Despite the defeat, there were some positives for the Saints to take away from the match. Lipscomb led the team with a season-high 14 kills on 20 swings and also had six block assists. Conner Young had 21 assists, while Eli Chambers contributed 18. Jonathan Litzler tied a season-high with 14 digs, and the team tied a season-high with 18 block assists.
The Saints will now turn their attention to a non-conference matchup with the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference’s Lawrence Tech Blue Devils. The game is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, and Thomas More will be hoping to get back to winning ways after losing to Lawrence Tech on both occasions in past seasons. With the talent and determination displayed by the Saints in their match against Campbellsville, there is no doubt that they will give it their all and fight to come out on top.