Men's Volleyball captures 2nd straight MSC title
Georgetown capped off a nearly perfect Mid-South Conference season by winning the tournament title in a 3-0 sweep of Cumberland, giving the program its 2nd consecutive championship.
The Tigers raced out to a 6-2 lead in the first set, but Cumberland proved to be a tough out as the Phoenix fought back to eventually level the set at 14. The 2 top seeds would go on to tie each other 16 more times in the first set as neither side could put away the other in what proved to be a marathon. With the set tied at 30, Ryan Gunn found open space on a pass from Kacper Dobrowolski to put GC up 31-30. After a defensive stop, Dobrowoloski would load up a ball for Krzysztof Kowalski, who put it and the set away, 32-30, Georgetown. It took the 9th total set point before the orange & black preveiled.
Set 2 showed tight early as the teams split the first 14 points. The Tigers then took momentum thanks to consecutive aces from LC Newton, leading to an 11-7 Tigers lead. The Phoenix fought back within 12-10 before errors put CU down 5 at 15-10, forcing the Phoenix into a timeout. They would fight back within 2 twice but got no closer as Georgetown closed out the 2nd set, 25-20, going up 2-0 in the match.
Cumberland took its frustration out on Georgetown in the 3rd early and often. The Phoenix led early before the Tigers fought back to tie the set at 9. The Phoenix then made their move with 5 straight points, to take a 14-9 lead. Facing a 15-11 deficit, the Tigers emphatically punched back with a massive 10-1 win to surge into the lead, 21-16. Georgetown kept the Phoenix at bay and with championship point in hand, Dobrowolski fed Kowalski for the final nail in the coffin as the Tigers locked down the title for the 2nd straight year.
Kacper Dobrowolski, who received his MSC Setter of the Year award before the match, led the Tigers with 34 assists and 10 digs. Ryan Gunn, who received his MSC Player of the Year award, ended the night with 14 kills and hit nearly .300. Krzysztof Kowalski finished with 11 kills and hit .346.
The win also formally punches the Tigers ticket back to the NAIA Tournament in Des Moines, IA, coming up in mid-April.