WEST POINT, Ga.--Cumberland split the tri-match with Johnson and host Point on Saturday.

Cumberland volleyball opened its 2025 campaign with a hard-fought five-set battle but came up just short, falling 3-2 (20-25, 16-25, 25-16, 25-22, 15-13) to Johnson University in the first match. In the loss, senior middle blocker Hazel Konkel reached a career milestone, recording her 1,000th career kill.

The Phoenix hit .246 as a team with 60 kills against 19 errors while dishing out 56 assists and collecting 71 digs. Cumberland also served six aces, though 19 service errors proved costly. Cumberland tallied seven team blocks at the net. Johnson countered with 50 kills on a .159 hitting percentage, recording 73 digs and eight service aces while committing just five errors from the service line.

Cumberland was led by Lila Cade, who finished with a match-high 16 kills on a .283 clip while also notching 19 digs. Setter Jacey Hubbell posted a double-double with 10 kills and 26 assists to go along with 13 digs, while Naomi Wiersma added nine kills and three blocks. Alei Roper contributed eight kills at a .333 hitting percentage, and Hazel Konkel chipped in six kills and a team-best four blocks. Carlee Rogers directed the offense with 22 assists and three service aces, while libero Kaleigh Glass anchored the defense with 17 digs.

For Johnson, Abigail Brown and Kierston Bell each tallied 12 kills to pace the Royals, with support from Makiyah Greenlee and Belle Jones, who combined for 16 kills. Hannah Lukey led the passing attack with 23 assists and Lilly Richards added 11, while libero Marissa McMahon registered a match-high 18 digs and Mackenzie Collins made her presence felt with three service aces.

The match opened with Cumberland rallying from an early 5-0 deficit in the first set to claim a 25-20 victory. Strong serving from Ella Johnson and Carlee Rogers helped turn the momentum, and Lila Cade's late kill set up the clinching point as Johnson faltered with an error.

The Phoenix carried that momentum into the second frame, dominating offensively with a .533 hitting percentage on 17 kills against just one error. Cade continued her strong play with five kills in the set, while Hubbell and Roper added key swings to push CU ahead 2-0 in the match. Johnson responded in the third, capitalizing on Cumberland's miscues to pull away for a 25-16 win. The Royals used a 10-3 mid-set run powered by Brown and Greenlee to extend the match.

The fourth set was tightly contested with 11 ties, but Johnson made the key plays down the stretch as Brown and Richards delivered clutch kills to seal a 25-22 win and even the match at two sets apiece.

The decisive fifth set lived up to the back-and-forth nature of the contest, with neither side leading by more than two points. Cade and Hubbell kept the Phoenix alive with late kills, but Johnson closed with back-to-back swings from Bell and Brown to secure the 15-13 win and complete the comeback.

Cumberland handled host Point 3-1 in the second match of the afternoon, winning 25-17, 25–18, 23–25, 25–17. The Phoenix finished with 45 kills on 147 swings for a .095 clip , adding 44 assists, 69 digs, 10 service aces, and 7.0 total blocks.

Cumberland's attack was balanced. Alei Roper led with 9 kills (.273) and a match-high 5.0 blocks, while Hazel Konkel and Lila Cade each added 8 kills (Konkel .278; Cade 11 digs). Naomi Wiersma and Hailey Jones chipped in 7 kills apiece, with Jones adding 4 block assists. Setters Carlee Rogers (23 assists, 11 digs) and Jacey Hubbell (19 assists, 8 digs) steered the offense and combined for 3.0 blocks; Morgan Snead sparked the line with a match-best 4 aces. Libero Kaleigh Glass anchored the back row with a match-high 23 digs and one ace.

Point was held to 22 kills and a negative hitting percentage at -.054. The Skyhawks had 19 assists, 60 digs, 8 aces, and 6.0 total blocks. Jasmyn Ceasar paced the Skyhawks with 9 kills and 10 digs, while Paige Lowe handed out 17 assists and added an ace. Tianna Kynard finished with 4 kills, 3 aces, and a match-high 3.0 total blocks. Alayna Helmer led Point with 15 digs, and Claire Cordell added 14.

Cumberland started this match slowly allowing Point to get up 10-5, but the Phoenix went on a huge 15-3 run to take control of the set. CU closed on a flurry that included a Hailey Jones kill from Hubbell after a Cade swing forced set point. The Phoenix kept the pressure on in the second, 25-18, with Roper's kill from Hubbell sealing the frame following a long side-out stretch and a Point timeout. Cumberland led the set throughout building the lead up as much as seven at 12-5 and holding it throughout.

The Skyhawks answered in the third, 25-23, after a back-and-forth set throughout. Tied at 12-12, Point scored four straight points. Cumberland rallied back to tie it at 21-21, but the Skyhawks scored four of the last six points to extend the match.

Cumberland reset and finished the job in the fourth. The fourth was also tight to 11-11, but Cumberland went on a run and took off from there to win the match and move to 5-1 early in the season.

The Phoenix will be in the friendly confines of the Dallas Floyd Phoenix Arena on Tuesday for their home opener. CU will host Bryan College and Fisk University in a tri-match set to begin at 2:00 p.m.

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