Gaffney, S.C.-- Cumberland men’s volleyball dropped two games on the road at Limestone University. The Phoenix took a set off of Edward Waters but ultimately dropped 3-1. Host Limestone University swept the Phoenix 3-0 to close out the trimatch. 

Vs. Edward Waters

Cumberland dropped their season opener against the Edward Waters Tigers in a 3-1 battle. The Tigers played with a cleaner offense that recorded a .269 overall attack percentage compared to CU’s .167%. The Tigers had five more blocks than the Phoenix with Joelvi Jimenez going for a team high of five total.

Luka Illic led the Phoenix attackers with 12 kills while libero Caleb Ginnings totaled ten digs. Christian Lester added seven kills for a team-high .267 hitting percentage and Jordan Pierce tied for a game-high 37 assists.

The Tigers benefitted from back-to-back Phoenix errors at the net to give them an early two point advantage that they held onto for the entirety of the set. Edward Waters led by as many as seven points with a 15-8 score. The Phoenix improved their attacking to close out set one, but out-errored the Tigers enough to drop 25-18 with EW picking up their seventh block of the match. Cumberland headed into set two with a .167 team attack percentage compared to EW’s .333. 

Cumberland got off to a better start in set two, claiming a four point edge with a pair of kills from Kix Ferrel and one from Lester. The Tigers regained momentum with a trio of kills to tie it up at an 8-8 deadlock. The teams traded points from then on and were neck-and-neck for the remainder of the set with a tied match at 22-22. Kaden Kuehler and Pierce combined for a block for the one point advantage and Kuehler put away the set with a kill at 25-23.

With both teams establishing their momentum, set three was a point-for-point style of play until a pair of blocks from the Tigers allowed them to create some separation at 10-8. The Phoenix would trail behind from that point on through the middle stages of the set, with the Tigers leading by as many as six at 22-16. EW took the set 25-20, registering four more kills and blocks than CU on another solid .333 attack percentage.

CU posted double attack errors to open set four as the Tigers kept the pressure on for an 8-2 scoring run. EW spread their advantage out to eight points before a 6-0 run from the Phoenix cut into the deficit for a 21-19 score. Illic brought it within one for the Phoenix with his twelfth kill of the match. The Tigers would pick up the next two points as Kaelen Ingram picked up a pair of kills and EW claimed the victory with a score of 25-22. 

Vs. Limestone

The Phoenix dropped in three sets to Limestone University to close out their first weekend of play.

Kix Ferrell led the Cumberland attackers with nine kills on a fantastic .400 attack percentage.Jordan Pierce recorded 21 assists and a team-high five digs. 

Limestone got off to a solid start with an early 5-0 run to claim a lead that they would hold onto for the entire match. The Phoenix struggled at the net, hitting .000% as a team with six kills and six errors. CU was unable to get a run going and dropped the set by nine 25-16.

The teams went back and forth in set two, with neither side making a significant run in scoring until three Phoenix errors sent the Saints on a 5-0 run to give them a 17-11 lead. Limestone ran with it from there, going nearly flawless from the front row. The Phoenix improved their attacking to a .136%, but ultimately dropped with another 25-16 scoreboard. 

Cumberland took their first lead of the game in set three with an attack error on Limestone’s side and a kill from Lester. 

It was another point-for-point start to set three that lasted all through the middle stages. The Saints made a break in the score with a five point run during which the CU picked up three attack errors, forcing the Phoenix to recollect in a timeout. Cumberland was ultimately unable to recover and Limestone picked up a 25-19 win to take the game.

The Phoenix will open up conference play on February 1 on their home court against Georgetown College. The game will begin at 6 pm.