OAKLAND CITY, Ind.  — The St. Mary-of-the-Woods College men's volleyball team fell in a hard-fought five-set match to Oakland City on Saturday afternoon (March 1), at the Johnson Center.
 
Despite a valiant effort, the Pomeroys (13-4, 0-3 River States Conference) dropped the match 3-2 to the host Oakland City (8-5, 1-3 RSC).

The match saw intense back-and-forth action, with both teams trading sets. Oakland City took the first two sets 25-22 and 25-23, while SMWC bounced back in the third and fourth sets, winning 25-19 and 25-23, respectively. However, the home team clinched the victory with a 15-11 triumph in the fifth set.

SMWC had several standout performances, particularly from Joseph Szadorski, who recorded a team-high 14 kills, while Bentley Meyer and Christian Green added 12 kills each. Meyer also made his presence felt defensively, leading the team with 6.0 blocks. Kristofers Klavins notched a career-high 51 assists, and Trevin Matsuba contributed 15 digs to anchor the Pomeroy defense.

SMWC got off to a strong start in the third set with an early 3-0 lead, thanks to a block from Meyer and Yammiel Martinez and an attack error from Tinevimbo Goto. Oakland City responded, and the teams traded points until the Pomeroys seized control with back-to-back service aces from Trevin Matsuba, putting SMWC ahead 13-9.

Oakland City called a timeout, but SMWC continued to press the attack. Meyer and Christian Green both contributed timely kills, while Klavins' excellent playmaking set up a series of kills from Szadorski and Meyer. SMWC's defensive efforts, including key blocks by Yammiel Martinez and Kristofers Klavins, also helped keep Oakland City at bay.
Despite some missteps with service errors, the Pomeroys maintained their lead, eventually closing out the set 25-19.

The fourth set began with a back-and-forth battle, with both teams exchanging points early. SMWC gained a slight advantage after a key block by Yammiel Martinez and Joseph Szadorski and an attack error from Oakland City's Tinevimbo Goto, putting the Pomeroys ahead 4-1. Oakland City responded with a strong offensive showing, including kills from Gaston Barrionuevo and Hazem Nabil Abdelghafar, to tie the set at 5-5.

The teams continued to trade points, and SMWC's Kristofers Klavins contributed a critical service ace to tie the game at 19-19. Both teams kept the pressure on, but SMWC gained momentum in the final stretch. A pivotal kill from Bentley Meyer, assisted by Klavins, tied the set at 23-23. A crucial attack error from Oakland City's Tinevimbo Goto gave SMWC the edge, and the Pomeroys capitalized on the opportunity with another kill from Meyer to seal the 25-23 victory.

The fifth set began with SMWC taking an early 1-0 lead, thanks to a kill by Christian Green off a pass from Trevin Matsuba and a block error by Oakland City's Pawel Kulinski. However, the home team quickly answered, with Gaston Barrionuevo and Yammiel Martinez leading the offense to tie it at 2-2. The set remained tight through the early stages, with both teams exchanging kills and mistakes, but the score stood even at 5-5.

After a service error by Tinevimbo Goto gave SMWC a brief 6-5 advantage, Oakland City responded with a series of aggressive plays. The turning point came when Goto's service ace and a series of attack errors by SMWC allowed the home team to push ahead to an 11-7 lead.

A timeout by SMWC helped briefly stop the bleeding, as they fought to close the gap. Charlie Harr, who had been a key contributor throughout the match, added a service ace to make it 11-9, and Joseph Szadorski followed with a kill to bring SMWC within one at 12-11.

But despite the late push, Oakland City's Pawel Kulinski and Barrionuevo sealed the set with back-to-back kills, including a final attack error by Szadorski, securing the 15-11 win for the home team.

Despite the strong play from the Pomeroys, Oakland City was led by Gaston Barrionuevo, who put on an impressive offensive display with 23 kills, and Tinevimbo Goto, who contributed 14 kills and 4.0 blocks. Pawel Kulinski also had a strong performance with 5.0 blocks to help his team hold off SMWC's comeback efforts.

The Pomeroys will look to bounce back when they return home to host IU-East for a River States Conference matchup on Monday, March 3, at 6 p.m. ET.