Men's Volleyball Drops Conference Opener to No. 11 Georgetown

Box Score GEORGETOWN, Ky.-- In their conference opener, Cumberland men's volleyball fell to No. 11 Georgetown in three sets.

Although Georgetown managed to get it done in three, the Phoenix had a solid night of attacking, hitting .311% as a team with 35 kills. Ten of those kills came from Luka Ilic, who hit .769% without adding any errors to Cumberland's statsheet.

Defensively, the team relied heavily on Caleb Ginnings, who recorded ten of their 15 total digs. Georgetown's six total aces and error-free reception were significant factors in the match.

Despite dropping the first two points of the opening set, a serving error from Georgetown gave CU the opportunity to even the score, which they did by terminating an overpass.

The teams traded points to a 6-6 tie until a sharp swing from Gunn sent the Tigers on their way to a three-point advantage.

The Tigers extended their lead to six with a four-point run before the Phoenix regrouped in a timeout. The break worked to Cumberland's advantage as an immediate kill from Sam Mannebach ignited a three-point run, cutting the deficit to three.

The Phoenix kept the score within three until a kill and an ace from Georgetown created a 20-15 game.

The Tigers maintained this edge for the remainder of the set, as Cumberland's seven total service errors prevented them from making any significant runs.

In the second set, despite a strong start with back-to-back kills from Whyte, the Tigers quickly took control with a 6-1 run, including three consecutive kills from Ryan Gunn.

Although the Phoenix capitalized on four errors from the Tigers to narrow the score to 13-11, they couldn't fully recover from their early setback.

Once Georgetown found their offensive rhythm, they dominated the set, doubling Cumberland's kill count with a .448% attacking percentage. A pair of kills secured Georgetown's 2-0 set advantage, winning with a score of 25-14.

Both teams started the third set with a fierce presence at the net, resulting in a 6-6 tie, with ten of those points coming from kills on either side. This set the stage for a closely contested race as the set unfolded.

As the frame progressed, the teams traded points evenly, highlighting the importance of any two-point run to create separation. Georgetown capitalized on this strategy, taking advantage of two consecutive Cumberland errors to take a 16-14 lead.

The Tigers maintained their lead from that point onward and quickly headed on a four-point run, which was the largest run of the set, thanks to their strong blocking efforts.

Despite facing a 24-19 deficit, Nage Hendrickson and Kaden Kuehler each contributed a crucial kill to keep the Phoenix in the game. Immediately after, Alexander Heuer teamed up with Kuehler for a block, bringing the score to an exciting 24-22.

With the sweep within reach, Tyree Wesley halted Cumberland's momentum with a decisive swing, ending the set 25-22.

The Phoenix will be back in action this Friday, February 23 as they head to Carolina University for a tri-match. The team will face the host first at 3 PM CT followed by a 5 PM CT match against Reinhardt.

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Players Mentioned

#32 Caleb Ginnings: L; 6' 0"; Senior

#20 Nage Hendrickson: OH; 6' 1"; Junior

#3 Alexander Heuer: S/L; 5' 11"; Freshman

#6 Luka Ilic: OH; 6' 5"; Senior

#7 Kaden Kuehler: MB; 6' 5"; Junior

#15 Sam Mannebach: S/OPP; 6' 2"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#32 Caleb Ginnings
: 6' 0"; Senior
: L

#20 Nage Hendrickson
: 6' 1"; Junior
: OH

#3 Alexander Heuer
: 5' 11"; Freshman
: S/L

#6 Luka Ilic
: 6' 5"; Senior
: OH

#7 Kaden Kuehler
: 6' 5"; Junior
: MB

#15 Sam Mannebach
: 6' 2"; Junior
: S/OPP