BUIES CREEK – The Camels split the second day of the Fairfield Inn & Suites Campbell Invitational with a four-set win over Stetson and a four-set loss to Furman.
Victoria Tupy was named to the all-tournament team after collecting 33 kills and 33 digs across the three matches.
Stetson Recap
Leah Freesemann guided the Camels to a 25-19 first set win, logging six early kills on just eight swings. Campbell hit .353 in the first, putting away 17 kills.
The Camels rolled in the second set, taking it 25-15. The defense set the tone in the second, holding Stetson to hitting a flat .000 with just seven kills and as many errors.
The Hatters prolonged the match by claiming the third set 26-24. The Camels held off a few set points to even the score at 24 apiece, but allowed a kill and a block to give Stetson the set.
Campbell hit the gas again in the third to pick up the largest set win of the match at 25-14.
Up only three points at 17-14, the Camels closed on an 8-0 run with
Victoria Tupy at the service line. The late run featured three consecutive kills from
Breanna McMillan to help the Camels reach the finish line.
There were career-bests all over the place for Campbell, with
Hailey Heytvelt notching 13 kills,
Leah Freesemann at 11, and
Ella Duong with 8. The Camels put away 64 total kills as a team, the most in a four-set match since 2023.
Freshman
Aubree Fernandez handled the libero duties for the final three sets and came away with a season-best 11 digs.
Stetson was led by 11 kills from Andrea Diaz Dominguez, and a match-high 22 digs from Jannelize Perez.
Furman Recap
Furman jumped out to an early lead, holding the Camels to hitting .023 in the first. The Camels made 10 attack errors and added three service errors to help the Paladins take the opener 25-16.
Campbell cleaned things up in a major way the following frame, hitting .469 in the second with 17 kills and only two errors to take the second 25-19. McMillan was stellar in the second, putting away five kills on five swings.
Furman flipped the score in the third, this time coming out on top 25-19. The 'Dins posted six blocks in the frame to quiet the Campbell offense again, holding the Camels to .062 hitting.
Campbell fell behind 10-2 early and steadily chipped away to take their first lead of the fourth set at 24-23. The Camels couldn't put the finishing touches on the comeback and ultimately dropped the final set 27-25, and the match 3-1.
"I appreciated the fight we showed in the fourth set tonight," head coach
Greg Goral said. "We could've given up, but instead gave ourselves a chance late in the set. That's something we'll be able to build on moving forward"
Victoria Tupy posted a double-double with 13 kills and 14 digs.
Aubree Fernandez made the most of her first career start, logging 25 digs, a season-high for any Camel, and seven assists.
Ella Duong set career-highs with 11 kills and 18 assists for a big double-double effort.
Izzy Castelloe and Ashtan Dodson led the Paladins with 12 kills apiece.
Up Next
Campbell heads to Greenville, NC for the No Quarter Invitational, taking on Maryland, Old Dominion, and East Carolina Friday through Sunday.
