KOKOMO, Ind. – The Golden Eagles got right back to action bright and early with a 10 a.m. start to close out the IU-Kokomo Tournament on Saturday morning and were able to earn their first win of 2023 with a four-set victory over Campbellsville. Emmalee Murphy led the way with 15 kills, while Kylie Barron was dominant with a .632 hitting percentage in the win. Cornerstone is now 1-2 as they head home on Tuesday to face yet another receiving votes team in their home opener vs. Saint Xavier. Action set to begin at 6 p.m. inside Mol Arena on Tuesday night. 

Game Recap: Cornerstone – 3 Campbellsville – 1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-17, 25-21)
Set One:

• Cornerstone got off to a great start in set one, with two Emmalee Murphy kills and a Miranda German service ace.
• Campbellsville responded with a 6-0 run that saw three service aces by Taylor Thacker to take an 8-4 advantage. 
• The Golden Eagles then scored four straight of their own with a big block and kill from Kylie Barron. CU regained the lead 11-10. 
• After the Tigers tied it at 11, CU scored three more in a row to cap off a 7-1 run and force a Campbellsville timeout. 
• The timeout helped the Tigers regroup scoring three straight to tie things at 14. The serve continued to be a problem for CU as Camryn Rich added another one for the Tigers in the run.
• With the two sides trading the lead over the next few points, Hannah Giere came up clutch with two big kills to put Cornerstone on top 20-18. Cornerstone would not relinquish the lead from there as Jada Thomas recorded the final kill to get the Golden Eagles their first set victory of 2023. 

Set Two:

• Early in set two, Campbellsville could not get out of their own way with four attack errors through the first 10 points giving Cornerstone a 6-4 edge. 
• Hannah Giere kept her strong play going, recording two kills on a CU 3-0 run that forced the Tigers first timeout. Cornerstone held a 10-7 lead at the timeout. 
• Aubrey Lenz added a kill after the timeout to increase the Golden Eagle advantage to the largest of the set at four, 11-7. 
• Campbellsville was able to respond coming back with three straight points to tie the set at 14 and force Cornerstone to use their first timeout. 
• The two sides traded the lead for a while before Campbellsville was able to get a two-point edge 20-18 with two kills from Cierra Merrick. Cornerstone would use their final timeout of the set.
• Errors cost Cornerstone down the stretch allowing Campbellsville to run away with set two and win 25-20 to tie the match at one set a piece. 

Set Three:

• Emmalee Murphy helped Cornerstone to a two-point advantage early in set three. Campbellsville again was able to find themselves in an advantageous rotation though to score three straight points and take a lead with a pair of service aces. 
• The block combination of Gabrielle VerBerkmoes and Jada Thomas put Cornerstone back on top 12-11. 
• Back-to-back attack errors from Campbellsville led to a timeout with Cornerstone leading 16-13. 
• A Kylie Barron and Jada Thomas block highlighted a 5-1 run later in the set that put Cornerstone fully in command, 21-16. 
• The Golden Eagles cruised the rest of the way to take set three 25-17. 

Set Four:

• Cornerstone carried momentum into set four starting things with three straight kills. Aubrey Lenz recorded the first, followed by a pair from Jada Thomas to go on top 3-0. 
• The offense continued to click in the early stages of set four with Kylie Barron, Gabrielle VerBerkmoes, and Emmalee Murphy all adding kills to lead 7-3. Six of the first seven CU points were scored via the kill. 
• Campbellsville started to chip back into the set as a kill from Camryn Rich cut their deficit to just three and forced a Golden Eagle timeout. 
• Alli Pickard came up with a crucial service ace that shifted momentum back in Cornerstone's favor after the Tigers had cut the deficit to just one. Campbellsville called a timeout trailing 17-14. 
• Campbellsville got momentum right back after the timeout and was able to tie the set at 18 all. 
• A Jada Thomas kill and an Emma Whitley service ace prevented Campbellsville from getting the lead as Cornerstone went back on top 21-18. 
• Emmallee Murphy's strong game continued as she recorded the final kill to win set four 25-21 and give CU the four-set match victory. 

 
By the Numbers:
13/.632 – Junior Kylie Barron was dominant today with a career high 13 kills to go along with a .632 hitting percentage. 
15 – Emmalee Murphy led CU with 15 kills a career high for her as well. 
.310 – The Golden Eagle offense really came together as they hit .310 as a team their highest percentage since October 5 of last season. 
 
What's Next?
The Golden Eagles will play their fourth consecutive receiving votes opponent in their home opener Tuesday, August 29 starting at 6 p.m. The team will throw out T-Shirts during starting lineups as part of a home opener promotion.  
 
Volleyball Contact: Jesse Campbell 
CU Athletics: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Volleyball: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram