SAINT MARY-OF-THE-WOODS, Ind.  — The Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College men's volleyball team fell 3-2 to Campbellsville (Ky.) in the River States Conference opener on Monday evening at the Knoerle Center. The Pomeroys drop to 13-2 on the season and 0-1 in conference play, while Campbellsville improves to 5-3 overall and 2-0 in the RSC.

After splitting the first two sets, SMWC battled hard in the third set, edging Campbellsville with a 25-23 win to take a 2-1 advantage. However, Campbellsville responded with a dominant fourth set to force a deciding fifth. In the final set, the Tigers overcame the Pomeroys 15-13 to claim the win. Complete set scores were 22-25, 25-23, 25-23, 22-25, 15-13.

Top Performances for SMWC: Joseph Szadorski led the Pomeroys offensively with 13 kills, while Christian Green added 10 and Yammiel Martinez chipped in 9. Martinez was also a defensive standout, contributing 9 blocks on the day. Michael Olak dished out 39 assists, and Trevin Matsuba and Tyler Duranceau each registered 12 digs.

Campbellsville Leaders: Ayoube Hamadache powered the Tigers with 23 kills, followed by Ian Gei with 10. Pedro Zava contributed 9 kills and 5 blocks. Alonzo Vega orchestrated the offense with 56 assists and also had 9 digs. Andrew Ovalle led the defensive effort with 21 digs.

The deciding fifth set began with both teams exchanging points. A kill by SMWC's Yammiel Martinez from Olak put the Pomeroys ahead 1-0, but Campbellsville responded quickly with kills from John-Marcos Gonzalez and Ayoube Hamadache to tie the score at 2-2. A block by Martinez and Joseph Szadorski and an error by Gonzalez gave the Pomeroys a slight 3-2 advantage.

The Tigers regained the lead after a series of attacks, including a key service ace by Andrew Ovalle, making it 5-3 in favor of Campbellsville. SMWC responded with a kill by Olak and another error from Gonzalez to tie it at 7-7. However, a series of unforced errors by the Pomeroys, including a service error by Olak and attacks blocked by Hamadache, ultimately helped Campbellsville extend their lead.

As the score reached 12-11 in favor of Campbellsville, SMWC mounted one last push, including kills from Olak and a block by Martinez, tying the match at 12-all. However, after two errors from the Pomeroys and a critical kill from Gonzalez, the Tigers sealed the victory 15-13.

In the first set, the Pomeroys started strong, with a block error by Campbellsville's Yammiel Martinez giving SMWC an early 1-0 lead. The Tigers quickly responded with a kill by Charlie Harr, and both teams traded points back and forth. SMWC's Michael Olak set up several key plays, including a kill from Ian Gei and a kill from Christian Green, helping the Pomeroys stay competitive throughout.

Campbellsville held a slight lead at several points in the set, including a 13-9 advantage after a service ace from Andrew Ovalle. However, SMWC's Tyler Duranceau kept the momentum going with a service ace and several key kills, including a block from Olak that tied the score at 16-16.

The set saw numerous errors from both sides, with service and attack errors contributing to a tense back-and-forth. The Tigers were ahead 24-22, but SMWC battled back, scoring the final three points of the set. A service error from Campbellsville's Barcan David and a crucial attack error by John-Marcos Gonzalez gave SMWC the advantage, followed by a final point secured by a kill from Szadorski, which sealed the set for the Pomeroys.

The Pomeroys also started the fourth set strong, using a series of key kills and forcing errors from Campbellsville to take a 5-3 lead. After the Tigers briefly tied the set at 5-5, SMWC surged ahead with a series of unforced errors from the Tigers, including attack mistakes from Ian Gei and John-Marcos Gonzalez.

Despite some offensive struggles from SMWC, including service and attack errors, the Pomeroys found their rhythm late in the set. A critical service ace by Michael Olak gave SMWC a 20-18 lead, while another kill from Tyler Duranceau, along with a pair of attack errors by Campbellsville, put the Pomeroys in control.

With the set tied at 22-22, a late attack error by Gonzalez and a final misplay by Mason McKinney allowed SMWC to seal the set 25-22 and force a decisive fifth set.

SMWC will look to rebound on Friday, February 28, when they travel to Brescia (Ky.) for a River States Conference match of the week at 6 p.m. (CT).