Campbell Rallies to First CAA Volleyball Championship in Five-Set Thriller
Dylan Smith
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TOWSON, Md. – With its back against the wall, second-seeded Campbell (23-6) fought off three match points in the fourth frame before stunning top-seeded Hofstra (22-4) for its first CAA Volleyball Championship in a five-set thriller (26-24, 17-25, 20-25, 26-24, 15-12) from SECU Arena in Towson, Md., on Saturday.
Campbell’s
Maja Daca saw her team sitting on the brink of defeat with Hofstra leading 24-21. The freshman outside hitter willed the Camels to the fifth set on three crucial kills, part of a 5-0 run that lifted the tournament’s second seed to a 26-24 win in the fourth frame.
The Camels fought off an early 3-1 deficit and found some momentum on a
Hailey Heytvelt kill that deadlocked the score at nine. The slam sparked a 4-0 spurt that also featured a tandem block from
Aley Clent and
Abbie Tuyo that guided Campbell to a 12-9 edge. After CAA Most Outstanding Player
Gwen Wolkow notched her 23
rd kill to give her squad match point, Clent powered home the final kill to claim the Camels’ first CAA volleyball crown.
Wolkow swung at a .367 clip and registered a double-double with 12 digs. Daca finished the match with 14 kills, while Heytvelt rounded out those in double figures with 10 of her own. The Camels logged 10 total stuffs, seeing Clent pace the team with six block assists.
After both programs traded points to open the match, Campbell rattled off three consecutive scores, with Heytvelt slamming down the final point of the run to take a 7-4 lead. The Pride slowly worked their way back, needing a boisterous slam from
Izadora Stedile and an ace from
Lilia Duczek to tie the set at 11. The Camels pushed the pace and watched their advantage grow to as many as four, 21-17, down the stretch with the help of Clent downing a pair of kills on the backend of the run. Once again, Hofstra capitalized on hitting miscues to secure a small three-point run that forced a 23-23 deadlock. The Camels’ Wolkow drilled a kill into the court before the tandem of Clent and Tuyo finished off the set with a denial at the net for a 26-24 win.
The Pride and the Camels tried to shake off early nerves in the second set as they worked to a 7-7 tie on several miscues on both sides. Hofstra caught fire shortly after with a 9-2 run that saw
Julia Amorim and Stedile stuff a Campbell chance, followed by another ace from Duczek to take a 16-10 advantage. Hofstra kept the Camels at a distance, holding the tournament’s second seed to a .097 hitting percentage in the second set. The Pride closed the frame on a 4-1 spurt to claim a 25-17 victory in set two.
Hofstra found itself out to a 5-2 lead after a massive finish from
Constanza Perez Sain. After a brief exchange of points, Campbell’s Heytvelt sent two kills into the ground en route to a four-point swing that put the Camels ahead, 8-7. Neither team saw a multi-point lead until Hofstra unleashed a 6-1 run capped off by a Duczek slam for a 21-17 advantage. The Camels utilized a pair of late kills from Wolkow to bring Campbell to within two, 22-20. Hofstra proved to be too much with three unanswered points, as Stedile ricocheted the team’s final attack off the blockers’ hands for set point and a 25-20 win in the third frame.
The two teams battled to open the fourth set until Hofstra took a five-point lead, 19-14, nearly putting the contest out of reach. Campbell rattled off four straight points, watching Wolkow crush back-to-back kills to pull within one, 19-18. Shortly after, Hofstra earned match point at 24-21 on an attacking error from Daca. It was the Campbell freshman, who remained composed and helped the Camels rally to score five straight points, starting with a kill of her own. After a service ace from
Sadie Johnston, Daca wielded back-to-back kills to take a 25-24 lead with match point in favor of the tournament’s second seed. Campbell grinded out a near minute-long rally and swiped set four, 26-24, on a tag-team block from Heytvelt and Tupy.
Campbell closed out the championship match with a 15-12 win in the final set.
Hofstra was resilient all match as All-Tournament Team selections Braga and Bal notched 25 and 17 kills apiece, respectively. Braga also compiled 14 digs for a double-double effort. CAA Player of the Year Stedile put forth a 20-kill, 14-dig showing in Saturday’s championship match.
Nil Kayaalp also grinded out an incredible defensive effort with a match-high 27 digs.
Campbell has punched their ticket into the 2025 NCAA Volleyball Championship and will find out its opponent during Selection Sunday on Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. ESPNU will carry the NCAA’s selection show.
2025 CAA All-Tournament Team
Gwen Wolkow, Campbell –
Most Outstanding Player
Beatriz Braga, Hofstra
Clara Bal, Hofstra
Aley Clent, Campbell
Maja Daca, Campbell
Kali Moore, Stony Brook
Tyne Ross, N.C. A&T
2025 CAA Volleyball Championship
Thursday, Nov. 20
G1: No. 5 North Carolina A&T 3, No. 4 Charleston 0
G2: No. 6 Stony Brook 3, No. 3 Towson 1
Friday, Nov. 21
G3: No. 1 Hofstra 3 vs. No. 5 North Carolina A&T 0
G4: No. 2 Campbell 3, No. 6 Stony Brook 2
Saturday, Nov. 22
G5: No. 2 Campbell 3, No. 1 Hofstra 2
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