RIO GRANDE, Ohio– Cumberland men's volleyball comes out on top at the Rio Grande tri-match, returning home with two wins. The Phoenix kicked off the day with a thrilling five-set win against the host team before securing an impressive sweep against Warren Wilson.

Vs. Rio Grande
Jacob Whyte went for another 20 kills to kick off the day, matching the career-high he set just yesterday. Alexander Heuer had a double-double of 26 assists and 12 digs, while Caleb Ginnings' phenomenal effort resulted in a game-high 24 digs

The Phoenix faced difficulties stringing together consecutive points in the early stages of set one, as Rio Grande managed multiple two-point runs to gain a 10-6 lead. Although Cumberland played scrappy defense, they lacked the spark needed to ignite their offense.

During a pivotal moment, trailing by four points, Whyte delivered a pair of powerful swings. Coupled with a setting error from the Red Storm, the Phoenix narrowed the gap to just one point. 

As Cumberland's front row matched the intensity of the back row, they began to shift the momentum. They gradually built on this, eventually securing an 18-14 lead, prompting Rio Grande to call a timeout.

Though Rio came out of the break with a kill and an ace, Cumberland's cohesive teamwork remained strong, allowing them to surge ahead to a 23-18 lead.
That's when Rio Grande called a second timeout, which proved beneficial as four consecutive errors by the Phoenix led to a 23-22 score, setting the stage for an exciting finish.

The match intensified as both teams focused on blocking, resulting in ties at 24-24 and 26-26. Otavio Tonolio secured the final two points of the set with a block assist and kill, leading to Rio's 28-26 victory.

The second set was a closely contested battle, with both teams neck-and-neck until a 20-20 tie. A kill from Luka Ilic, followed by a mishit from the Red Storm, gave the Phoenix a lead that they managed to maintain through the finish. 

Though an attacking error gave Rio the opportunity to make up for the lost points, Cumberland's attackers were unwilling to let them back in, nailing consecutive swings to reach game point with a 24-21 score.

Once again, Rio had the chance to make up the deficit after an out-of-bounds serve by the Phoenix. However, Rio couldn't capitalize as they immediately committed a service error of their own, allowing Cumberland to tie up the match with a score of 24-22

The Phoenix dominated the third frame with an attacking percentage of .259 to cruise to a 25-16 win. Though Rio registered just one less kill than Cumberland, they struggled with errors at the net that kept them from gaining momentum throughout.

Cumberland's longest run of the set was five unanswered points, four of which were the result of Rio Grande offensive errors. The Phoenix protected that early advantage for the remainder of the set, keeping Rio at a distance of at least three points.

The Rio attackers were determined to send the match into a fifth set, hitting the highest team percentage by either side at .538%. Cumberland's front row was solid as well, but with two more errors and three less kills, they allowed the Red Storm to pass them by.

Despite an early lead for Cumberland fueled by four kills from Whyte, the Red Storm quickly shifted momentum with a 5-0 run followed almost immediately by four unanswered points, taking a 14-9 lead.

Unable to recover against a strong Red Storm front row, the Phoenix lost the set 25-18, In the fifth set, Cumberland struck first with back-to-back swings, but Rio countered with two blocks to even the score. 

The set remained closely contested, with a 10-10 tie setting the stage for a thrilling finish.
Whyte's 20th kill gave the Phoenix an edge, and Rio's subsequent missed swing further solidified Cumberland's advantage. With assistance from three Red Storm errors in the final five points of the match, Cumberland secured the set and the match with a 15-12 win.



Vs. Warren Wilson College

The Phoenix carried their momentum from the previous match into their game against Warren Wilson, dominating in three straight sets.

Joseph Aeko and Nage Hendrickson led Cumberland's attack, combining for 16 of the team's 30 total kills. Caleb Ginnings contributed nine digs, bringing his total to 33 over the day's eight sets.

Cumberland nearly doubled Warren Wilson's kill count and served up 11 aces to maintain control of the game.

In the first set, the Phoenix hit .375% as a team with 11 kills and just three errors, while defensively holding the Owls to only three kills, resulting in a 25-10 win.

The second set was more closely contested, with both teams going point-for-point until an 18-18 tie. Cumberland then went on a five-point run to end the set, with three points coming from each front-row attacking option, assisted by Sam Mannebach.

In the third set, the Owls showed more strength at the net, recording one more kill than the Phoenix with nine. However, Warren Wilson's attacking errors continued to be their downfall.

Cumberland broke a tie at 8-8 with a 5-1 run, mostly due to several errors from the Owls. The Phoenix maintained control for the rest of the set, finishing with a 25-17 victory to secure the sweep.