Campbellsville, Ky. - The Marian volleyball team returned to action on Friday as they played in the CampbellsvilleTournament, splitting their Friday workload against Xavier and the host Tigers. The Knights managed to defeat Xavier 3-1 in their first match, but in the night cap went down to the Tigers by a 3-1 score. Marian's record on the season moves to 5-4 following the loss to Campbellsville.

MATCH 1 | Marian 3-1 Xavier (25-13, 25-19, 21-25, 25-23)

The Knights cruised to a comfortable win in their opening set, pouring ahead to a 6-1 lead to force an early timeout. Marian's lead was cut down to four at different stretches, but strong offensive play from Mikayla Christiansen and Madison Brooks helped keep the team in front. A kill from Gabby Fish sparked a 4-0 run to vault Marian's lead to 18-10, propelling Marian further ahead in the set. After securing the run, kills from Fish and Christiansen, along with Xavier attack errors, paced the closing 7-3 run to take a set one win.

After the one-sided first set, the second set was a back and forth deadlock, with the score staying tied or at a one point difference for the first 25 rallies. Xavier would go in front 15-13, but a kill from Logan Smith and Khori Dryden got Marian back in a rhythm, as the latter's spike created a 6-0 run. The run pushed Marian in front 19-15, with Brooks and Christiansen pushing their team in front 22-17. Xavier wouldn't get within five points for the remainder of the set, as Fish slammed the winning kill in the 25-19 win.

The third set was similar to the second, with the score holding tight early in the match. Marian fell behind early 5-1, but despite rallying back and taking a narrow one-point lead, they were unable to slow the Gold Nuggets as their lead held steady at three. The Knights were unable to come closer than the three point difference in the set, as Xavier finished the game with a 25-21 victory.

In the fourth set the Knights were able to put away Xavier, as Nicole Wilkinson led the charge in a 5-0 opening run. Marian maintained their lead throughout the set after the charge, with Jaymison Summers, Brooks, and Dryden landing their attacks to hold their team in front. Xavier made a late charge in the set as they were able to even things at 18-18, but an immediate side out put Marian back in front. The score went back and forth between a tie and a one-point Marian lead, and Xavier took a brief 21-20 lead, but the Knights were able to get control back with a 22-21 lead. The Knights were able to take three of the final five rallies after a timeout, with a block from Summers and Fish sealing the 25-23 set victory.

In the win, the Knights recorded 47 kills, with Christiansen leading the team with 11. Fish finished with 10 kills in the win, and Wilkinson, Brooks, and Summers finished with six each. Logan Smith led the setters with 20 assists while Ainsley Neighbors had 14. Christian and Smith each posted a double-double with 14 digs each, and Emma Lyons led the Knights with 17 digs.

MATCH 2 | Marian 1-3 Campbellsville (21-25, 17-25, 25-16, 20-25)

Campbellsville pressed Marian early in the first set of the final match for the Knights, as the Tigers pounced out to an early 11-7 lead. The Knights were able to claw back slowly within two points, and gradually took the lead with powerful swings from Christiansen, but the 19-16 lead was unsafe as the Tigers roared back with  4-0 run. Marian once again went in front with a narrow 21-20 lead, but were unable to hold the mark as Campbellsville went on a 5-0 run to take a 1-0 lead in the match with the 25-21 victory.

The second set belonged to Campbellsville, as they opened the set on a 10-3 run, with the lead gradually pushing to eight points. Marian was unable to overcome the early deficit as the closest they were able to get within the Tigers was six points, as the home team took a 2-0 lead with their 25-17 victory. The Knights responded in the third set and were able to claim their first win of the match with a 25-16 win. The strong attackers of Dryden, Brooks, and Christiansen helped pace the set victory, with Brooks scoring the winning kill in the game.

Despite winning the third set to prolong the match, Marian was unable to maintain momentum in the fourth set, as their 4-0 run was answered immediately by Campbellsville with a 4-0 run of their own. Marian's lead would slowly build to five points with a 14-9 advantage, but after a Katie Hardegree kill, the Tigers scored six unanswered to take their first lead of the game at 15-14. A Dryden kill would break up run, but after the deadlock Campbellsville roared out to a 21-15 lead, as the 6-0 run put the match to rest. The Knights would get within three points, but were unable to hold their run as Campbellsville finished the four set with with a 25-20 victory.

Christiansen finished with 12 kills in the match to lead the team, while Brooks posted 10. Dryden and Fish each had nine kills in the defeat. Logan Smith led the setters with 16 assists, and Emma Lyons recorded 17 digs. Sydney Schaffer had 10 digs in the match. 

Marian will finish their time in Kentucky on Saturday afternoon, as the Knights take on Life University at 12 p.m.

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