Kokomo, IN – Patriots Volleyball (RV) (19-0) secured two sweeps over Saint Xavier (5-6) and Indiana University East (9-5) at the IU Kokomo Volleyball Invitational on Friday afternoon. Across the two matches, Cumberlands compiled 82 kills, 99 digs, 76 assists, and 12 aces. UC currently leads the NAIA in kills, assists, and points.

Patriots Sweep Saint Xavier, 3-0 (25-21, 25-12, 25-18)
Sara Zampedri led the Patriots in kills, notching 12 while Allyson Grava followed with nine. Savanah Jolly marked 19 assists and Kendall Arnold took 15. On defense, Juliet Banks tallied 19 digs and Aleksandra Augustyniak and Kara Gipson totaled two blocks apiece.

Cumberlands exchanged points to open the first set until a Saint Xavier service error tied the score at 5-5. A kill from Jolly and an attacking error on the Cougars allowed UC to take an 8-6 lead. From there, the two teams rallied back and forth, but a three-point run with kills from Augustyniak and Zampedri helped the Pats pull ahead 14-11. Cumberlands gained a stronger lead, 18-13, off a trio of kills by Augustyniak, Zampedri, and Franklin paired with a Cougar service error. An Augustyniak kill and back-to-back kills by Grava greatened the lead to 23-15. To complete the first set win at 25-21, Zampedri marked a kill set by Arnold.

The second set saw the Patriots take a powerful 7-1 lead, capitalizing on four errors by Saint Xavier and a kill with a pair of aces by Zampedri. UC continued to push ahead, marking Zampedri's third consecutive service ace, a kill by Grava, and six more Cougar errors, 15-4. A four-point run, courtesy of two kills from Kara Gipson and a pair of attacking errors propelled the Pats into a 19-4 advantage. Saint Xavier attempted to make a comeback, but the Cumberlands defense held them and enabled Grava to seal the set at 25-12 with a kill.

UC began the third set with a 2-1 lead from two Cougar attacking errors. A pair of consecutive kills by outside hitter, Grava, put the Pats an 8-6 lead, but the two teams continued to swap points. Two kills from both Zampedri and Franklin gave Cumberlands the momentum to shift ahead 15-12. Augustyniak recorded a service ace and was followed by kills from Zampedri and Franklin to make the score 19-15. The match's final three points finished the set at 25-18, seeing kills by Grava and Zampedri and an attacking error on Saint Xavier.

Patriots Pummel IU East, 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-13)
Offensively, Sara Zampedri led the team with 11 kills, while Allyson Grava tallied nine and Aleksandra Augustyniak marked two service aces. Kendall Arnold recorded 18 assists and Juliet Banks marked 12 digs. 

In the first set, the score was quickly tied at 4-4, with kills from Franklin and Augustyniak. A kill from Grava and an attacking error on IU East gave the Pats a 6-4 lead, but the Red Wolves evened the score at 6-6. After exchanging points, four consecutive points shifted UC to a stronger lead at 15-12, seeing a trio of kills by Zampedri and one attacking error on the Red Wolves. The set was leveled at 20-20 until Augustyniak notched a kill and a service ace to pull the Patriots into a 23-20 lead. Franklin tallied the final kill, locking the win at 25-22.

Cumberlands found themselves in a 9-4 deficit to begin the second set but retaliated with four points in a row to trail by one, 9-8. Two kills by Franklin and Grava shifted UC into the lead at 16-15. Taking the lead to 23-20, Zampedri recorded a kill and Banks aced the Red Wolves after IU East made two attacking errors. The setter, Arnold, notched a kill and Augustyniak followed with a kill to beat the Red Wolves, 25-20.

To start the third set, the Patriots were trailing 5-4, until Grava leveled the score at 5-5 with a kill and Augustyniak followed with a kill to shift the lead in favor of UC, 6-5. Ryann Livingston aced IU East and Gipson and Grava followed with a kill each, 10-6. A kill by both Grava and Augustyniak and an ace from Zampedri allowed the Patriots to extend their lead to 15-10. UC defended the court against IU East, and pushed to capitalize on their errors, 18-11. Grava and Gipson marked kills to ensure the Patriot win at 25-13.

UC Volleyball will face #10 IU Kokomo on Saturday, September 14^th, at 10 a.m. in Kokomo, IN.

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