Bowling Green, Ky.-- Cumberland takes down Shawnee State in four sets to advance to the Mid-South Conference Semifinals.

Cumberland was led by their outside hitters, who both posted double-digit kills in the effort. Harlee Kate Reid led her offense to victory with 14 kills while also picking up nine digs. Lauren Galvan recorded ten kills on a very solid night. 

Set one was a neck and neck race between the Phoenix and the Bears all the way to the end. The Phoenix made the first significant dent in the score off of a 4-0 run during which Nicole Bott picked up two aces, followed by another three point run with Elaine Shaneyfelt on the serving line. This put Cumberland up by three at 17-14, but the Bears fought their way back to tie up the score at 19-19. Tori Johnson put away two huge late-set kills for Cumberland, but the Bears were ultimately able to pull out a 25-23 victory. 

The Phoenix went into set two with some determination and pulled out a 5-0 run to establish an early lead at 7-1. Shawnee fought to recover the deficit all set long, but the Phoenix stayed at least three points ahead for the entire match. Galvan picked up four of her ten kills in the set, including the set winning sharp swing that ended it at 25-21.

Cumberland kept the momentum rolling into set three as Reid picked up two early kills and the Bears’ offense committed three attack errors in the first six points. Bott assisted Izzy Curcio and Luciana Arena for back-to-back kills to give the Phoenix a 7-2 advantage. The Phoenix were practically flawless from the front row, recording a fantastic .467 attack percentage compared to the .143 third set percentage from Shawnee. Galvan buried a deep ball to send Bianca Rodriqeuz on a 3-0 serving run, giving Cumberland a seven point edge at 22-15. The set ended with three back-to-back hitting errors on Shawnee’s side, and Cumberland cruised to a 25-19 win.

Harlee Kate Reid dominated the fourth set, picking up five of her 14 kills to secure Cumberland’s victory. The set started in favor of the Phoenix, as Shawnee committed three more attack errors right off the bat to send Bott on a 3-0 service run. The Bears battled to tie up the match at 8-8 and took their first lead since set one at 10-8. Back-to-back Reid kills fueled some energy in Cumberland and Moore went on an important five point serving run to reclaim the lead at 16-12. From then on, the Phoenix were relentless on all cylinders and ran away with the set. Freshman of the year Hazel Konkel recorded the final two points for Cumberland with a solo block and unstoppable swing. The Phoenix took the set and ended the game with a 25-18 score.

Cumberland's setters both had solid outtings, as Bott led the way with 22 assists and Bianca Rodriquez right behind with 21. Libero Shea Moore held down the defense, leading her team with 14 digs. 

Cumberland will be back on the court tomorrow, November 11, at 8:00 pm to face the No. 6 seed Bethel University Wildcats in the semifinals. Bethel upset the No. 3 seed Thomas More in the quarterfinals with a five set victory. During the regular-season Cumberland and Bethel each won at home splitting the series. Both the semifinals and finals will take place at Bowling Green High School.