Eagles Get Two Wins in Conference Pod Day One

David Finney | photos by G-Rox Photography

Campbellsville, KY - On day one of Conference Pod #2, the Eagles were taking on Rio Grande and Thomas More. They were carrying in a three-game winning streak which included the big win over #13 Life University. This was going to be a tough conference pod for the Eagles because several good teams were attending, which included #2 ranked Campbellsville University. The Eagles will not play Campbellsville until the second game on Saturday afternoon. At the end of day one, the Eagles would have extended their win streak to five games.

Match One - Rio Grande, 3-0 Win (25-20, 25-12, 25-14)

In match one, this would be one that the Eagles were favored. Rio Grande has only won one game on the season and they have zero conference wins. It would take the first half and a little more for the Eagles to get warmed up, but when they did - they poured it on the Red Storm. The match was tied at several points during the first part of set one. The final point it was tied was at 17 all and then the Eagles would rally to finish off Rio Grande. The Eagles were able to get up by three on the Red Storm after being tied when Chase Cross, Victor Pacheco, and Matthew Corrales all got kills in a row. Pacheco and Corrales also got the final block to end the first set with the Eagles winning 25-20.

This would be the closest set of the match. The Eagles took the momentum from the first set and blew past Rio Grande for the final two sets. The second set would see the Eagles dominate to a thirteen-point lead to win the set, 25-12. The third set would go about the same way, but the lead was slightly less. The lead did get to eleven in this third set and it would hover in this range until the end. The final of the third set was 25-14.

Top Performers:

• Chase Cross - 8 kills, 1 error for a .636 hitting percentage, 2 aces.

• Bruno Dewes - 14 assists, 2 digs

• Ricardo Mujica - 6 digs

Match Two - Thomas More, 3-0 Win (25-21, 25-15, 25-20)

In game two, things would be a little closer - but the Eagles would come out on top after the three sets. Victor Pacheco really stepped up his game in the final set. He would have 15 total kills, 2 aces, and 4 digs. Chase Cross and Matthew Corrales both had great games as well with Cross getting 9 kills and Corrales having 8 kills. 

In the first set, the Eagles lead from start to finish - but it was much closer than the four-point win. The lead would fluctuate from two to four points along the way. Pacheco and Corrales would get the final two kills for Reinhardt, however, it was an attacking error on Thomas More that would end the game in favor of the Eagles. The final was 25-15. Pacheco is young but he has shown a lot of promise for a bright future. There is no doubt that he can be a team leader going forward for the Eagles.

In the second set, the Eagles would show more of their dominance winning 25-15.  It was a game where the Eagles would lead from start to finish with Victor Pacheco flying high to add to his kills. The game was never close did not waste any time putting this team away.

In the third and final set, the Eagles would have a much closer match than the second. It was more similar to the first set where the Eagles had a lead, but they could not fully pull away from the Red Storm. Besides Cross, Corrales, and Pacheco having great sets - Christian Deleon and Rayner Sarmiento would step up and help the Eagles win the set. The match would end with the Eagles winning 25-20 and the Eagles getting the 3-0 win for their second match win on the day.

Top Performers

• Victor Pacheco - 15 kills, 2 aces, 4 digs

• Bruno Dewes - 37 assists, 4 digs

• Chase Cross - 9 kills

Matthew Corrales - 8 kills, 2 assists

The Eagles will face Cumberland early on Saturday morning and then they will have one of their toughest matchups of the season as they face #2 ranked and host Campbellsville. It should be a good test for the Eagles to see where they are as a program. Over the season, they have stepped up to play really well against teams that were favored.