Dec. 6—The Cumberland Esports Valorant Rising squad achieved the NECC championship with a thrilling 3-2 triumph against the University of Georgia on Monday night. This Valorant Team, comprising Chase Rammell, Vincent Hong, Kace Whaley, Gio Colon, and John Buron, celebrated their victory following an exhilarating 3-2 battle with Georgia. In the first map of Sunset, […]
Dec. 6—The Cumberland Esports Valorant Rising squad achieved the NECC championship with a thrilling 3-2 triumph against the University of Georgia on Monday night.
This Valorant Team, comprising Chase Rammell, Vincent Hong, Kace Whaley, Gio Colon, and John Buron, celebrated their victory following an exhilarating 3-2 battle with Georgia.
In the first map of Sunset, the Phoenix started slowly while the Bulldogs raced to a 5-1 advantage before Cumberland opted for a timeout. They then began to fight back and concluded the first half trailing 5-7. With Hong’s strategic plays and Rammell’s exceptional four-elimination round, the Phoenix managed to equalize at 8-8. Cumberland eventually seized their first lead at 11-10 but allowed Georgia to clinch the last three rounds, putting Georgia up 1-0 in the series.
As they moved to map two, Haven, the Phoenix shifted gears taking an early 6-2 lead, prompting the Bulldogs to call a timeout. A spectacular play from Buron, who achieved four eliminations, helped Cumberland to an 8-2 lead. Maintaining their momentum into the second half, the Phoenix equalized the series at 1-1 with a commanding 13-5 win on the second map.
On the third map, Split, the Bulldogs rallied five consecutive rounds initially. However, Cumberland adapted their strategy, clawing back to tie the score. After forcing a Bulldogs timeout, the Phoenix took control, winning eight additional rounds to lead the series 2-1 after a 13-5 victory on map three.
As they approached Ascent, aiming for series point, the Bulldogs surged ahead with a quick 8-1 lead. Cumberland started to close the gap, trimming the lead to 11-8 thanks to key performances from Colon and Whaley. Ultimately, the Bulldogs took the final two rounds, bringing the series to a tie at 2-2 and necessitating a fifth map.
The final map, Pearl, saw a back-and-forth tussle, ending the first half tied at 6-6. The Phoenix initially gained a two-round lead, but the Bulldogs fought back to equalize at nine. A pivotal timeout by Cumberland allowed them to review their strategy, which ultimately paid off as they secured the remaining four rounds to win the map 13-9, clinching the conference championship with a 3-2 series victory.
This marks the third NECC Valorant championship for the Esports program since its inception in fall 2021.
Meanwhile, the Esports Overwatch team has also secured the PlayFly Premier championship.
The Cumberland Esports Overwatch varsity team triumphed in the Playfly Varsity Premier Conference, achieving a 3-0 victory over California State University Dominguez Hills.
Under the guidance of coach Michael Decesare, the Overwatch lineup, including Logan Wilson, Reagan Dorsey, Grey Etue, Emil Matthiasson, and Jared Toland, is currently ranked No. 14 and has celebrated the first-ever Varsity Premier Overwatch title in PlayFly history.
Completing a flawless regular season of 7-0, the Phoenix advanced through the postseason, sweeping both Washington State and Michigan Tech in 3-0 matches to secure a spot in the finals against CSUDH.
In the grand finals, the Phoenix started strong with freshman Matthiasson orchestrating a series of eliminations against the Toros, allowing Cumberland to claim the first point of Oasis. Consistent victories in team fights led Cumberland to a 100%-38% score on point one. They maintained this positive momentum to win point two with a 100%-85% score, taking a 1-0 series lead.
On the second map, Kings Row, the Toros began offensively and quickly secured two team fights to initiate their payload movement. However, veteran player Wilson made a tactical adjustment that turned the tide, allowing Cumberland to restrict the Toros to just one point out of three. On attack, the dynamic duo of Etue and Toland ensured the Phoenix captured the point and advanced the payload. As they neared the final checkpoint, Dorsey exploited a gap in the Toros’ defense with three eliminations, securing map two and expanding their series lead to 2-0.
Carrying the momentum into the third map, Cumberland effortlessly captured all three points.
