Fort Wayne, IN – The (RV) Cumberlands volleyball team closed out their opening weekend with a pair of sweeps at the Onset Tournament Saturday afternoon at the War Memorial Coliseum.  UC opened the day defeating Saint Francis 3-0 (25-12, 25-22, 25-12) before posting a 3-0 (25-13, 25-20, 25-21) sweep over Bethel (IN) to improve to 4-0 on the season.

Sara Zampedri led the way for UC with 27 kills and 16 digs on the day, while Brynnley Bryant added 20 kills and 24 digs.  Savanah Jolly notched 73 assists and 11 kills, while Davey Slaughter tallied 21 digs.  Overall, Cumberlands notched 87 kills and 11 blocks on the day.
 
UC Utilized Balanced Attack in Sweep over Saint Francis

Sara Zampedri tallied another strong performance with 13 kills and six digs, while Brynnley Bryant and Savanah Jolly added seven kills apiece.  Bryant notched a team-high 16 digs as Jolly dished out 28 assists in the win. 

Cumberlands took the early advantage as Davey Slaughter notched a service ace as part of 5-1 run.  Saint Francis traded points and pulled within two at 10-8 before UC utilized a pair of six-point run, that included Jolly and Zampedri combining for six kills to make it 22-9.  Bryant closed out the set with a kill as UC took the 1-0 lead.

The second set opened with runs by both teams, however, it was a 5-1 run from the Pats that put them in front 9-6.  The Cougars retook the lead at 14-12  before Cumberlands went on a 7-1 run capped off with a Bryant kill give UC the 21-15 edge.  The two teams traded points until Jolly put a well-placed kill to close out the set 25-22 and extend the lead to 2-0.

UC strung together a quartet of runs in the third set to jump out to a 16-6 lead.  Saint Francis rallied, however Cumberlands closed out the set on a 7-1 run that included a pair of kills from Aleksandra Augustyniak giving them the set 25-12 and the match 3-0.
 
Cumberlands Completes Sweep over Pilots to Tournament Finale

Zampedri once again led the way for UC with 14 kills and 10 digs, while Bryant chipped in 13 kills.  Rylie Depue tied her career-high with seven kills to go along with four blocks.  Jolly directed the Patriots with 45 assists as Slaughter and Autiana Wilson notched 12 digs apiece.  Overall, UC tallied 50 kills in the match and posted a .313 hitting percentage.

Jolly opened the matched with five assists to four different players as Cumberlands took the 6-3 advantage.  The match went back-and-forth until Zampedri notched back-to-back kills as part of a five-point run to take a 14-7 lead.  Later in the set, Cumberlands went scored four unanswered points and Zampdri closed out the set with a kill, 25-13, giving the Patriots a 1-0.

The Pilots jumped out to a 5-3 lead in the second set before using a 5-1 run to extend their lead to 10-7. UC responded with a five-point run that included Depue and Kara Gipson combining for a block to take a 12-10 edge.  Cumberlands went on a second five-point run along with a pair of two point runs to a 22-14 lead.  The Pilots battled back pulling with four points, before Jolly connected with Bryant to close out the set 25-20 and take the 2-0 lead.

The third set was back-and-forth as Bethel jumped out a 12-9 lead before Cumberlands utilized a six-point run capped off with a Bryant kill to put the Patriots in front 15-12.  UC went on a pair of three-point runs, as DePue and Gipson recorded back-to-back blocks to take the set 25-21 and the match 3-0.   
 
The Patriots return to the court on Friday, August 29, when they return home to face #17 Montana Tech as part of the  Cumberlands Invite.  First serve is set for 3:30 p.m.
 
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