BUIES CREEK, N.C. –
Peyton Thompson had a match-high 19 kills Saturday afternoon, but Campbell defeated Charleston Southern in three sets (25-20, 26-24, 25-22) inside Gore Arena.
The match served as the 2021 season finale for the Buccaneers (9-17, 5-11 Big South), who finished the season in seventh place in the Big South Conference.
Thompson finished the regular season as the Big South's leader in kills with 386 and kills per set with 4.06. She was the only player in the conference to average four kills per set. Minnick led the conference with 854 assists, while her 9.60 assists per set ranked second in the league.
Indigo Young added 13 kills and a team-leading .400 hitting percentage for the Bucs, while Thompson hit .341 on 41 attempts. Minnick had a match-high 38 assists, while
Ashleigh Holweger led all players with 19 digs.
Campbell got off to a quick start in the opening set, as the Bucs never got closer than two points after an early 4-1 run. Young had six kills and hit .750 in the first set, but it wasn't enough as Campbell took the opening frame, 25-20.
The Bucs and Camels exchanged early runs in the second set until a five-point CSU swing put the Bucs up 19-15.
Ella Lochbiler had two kills during the run, while Young had two blocks and a kill during the swing. A late Camel run put the Bucs on the brink, and while CSU was able to stave off one set point, Campbell took each of the last two points to take a 26-24 second-set win.
A 10-0 run by Campbell early in the third set put the Bucs in a big hole, already down two sets. CSU responded with kills by Young, Thompson and
Ashley Collitt to stay within range of the Camels, then used a 7-1 run to pull itself within a point, 19-18. Thompson had three kills in the six-point swing. Young tied the set at 20-all with a kill, but Campbell closed with a 5-2 run to claim the set, 25-22, and the match.
Despite the loss and the season ending, the future of the Buccaneer program continues to trend in the right direction, with each of the top 13 players in terms of sets played slated to return next year, including each of the six starters and libero.
