SAINT MARY-OF-THE-WOODS, Ind. – The Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) men's volleyball team clinched a thrilling victory over national receiving votes opponent Cumberland (Tenn.) with a 3-1 win (22-25, 25-22, 28-26, 25-19) in a match held at the Knoerle Center. 

This marks the second consecutive win for SMWC over an opponent receiving votes in the NAIA Top 15 poll, following their previous triumph over Oakland City on Thursday. SMWC improved to a 20-6 overall record and 4-5 in the River States Conference with the hard-fought win. 

Top Performers
Bentley Meyer led the Pomeroys with a game-high 16 kills, while Noah Boyett and Christian Green each added eight kills apiece. The defensive efforts were anchored by Yammiel Martinez, who dominated the net with 7 blocks, along with Kristofers Klavins who also contributed 3 blocks. Klavins, in addition to his blocking prowess, orchestrated the offense with 37 assists.

Tyler Duranceau played a crucial role in the back row, leading the team with 13 digs. Klavins added 12 digs of his own, while Trevin Matsuba contributed seven. The team's collective defense and balanced offense were key to securing the win.

Match Breakdown
Cumberland (13-7, 5-3 River States) came out strong in the first set, taking an early lead, but SMWC responded in the second set with a more efficient offensive attack, including a .200 hitting percentage. The third set was a back-and-forth battle, with the Pomeroys pulling out a 28-26 win. In the fourth set, SMWC surged ahead, finishing strong with a 25-19 victory.

The Pomeroys' next challenge comes on Wednesday, March 26, when they travel to Cumberland (Tenn.) for a rematch at 5 p.m. CT.

The second set began with both teams exchanging early errors. After a service error from Cumberland's Gallardo, SMWC took the first point, followed by a kill from Duranceau off a pass from Klavins. Duranceau then added a service ace, pushing SMWC to a 3-1 lead. However, Cumberland responded with a kill from Infante and a series of errors from SMWC, tying the set at 4-4.

The two teams continued to trade points, with both offenses showing flashes of brilliance. Meyer's kill from Klavins gave SMWC a 5-4 advantage, and despite a few attack errors from the Pomeroys, they regained the lead at 8-7 thanks to a kill from Meyer off Matsuba's assist.

Cumberland's attack faltered in the middle of the set, as a series of errors from both sides allowed SMWC to pull ahead. A key moment came at 12-11 when SMWC capitalized on a series of mistakes by the Cumberland blockers. A service error from Infante, followed by a kill from Green and another attack error by Gallardo, gave SMWC a 16-12 lead.
Cumberland fought back with kills from Heuer and Gallardo, pulling within a point at 18-17, but SMWC's composure kept them in control. After a timeout, SMWC surged again, with Duranceau's kill and Boyett's strong attack from Klavins giving the Pomeroys a commanding 22-18 lead.

Cumberland managed to score a few more points but could not catch SMWC. Meyer's kill and Boyett's final point from Klavins sealed the set for the Pomeroys, who won 25-22.
The third set began with a kill from Cumberland's Infante, but SMWC quickly responded with a service ace from Boyett, followed by a kill from Klavins to give them a 3-2 lead.

Both teams were trading points, and with the score tied at 6-6, SMWC's Boyett helped his team pull ahead with another kill, followed by a service error from Cumberland to make it 8-7 in favor of SMWC.

Cumberland's attack errors and a crucial kill by Green pushed SMWC to a 13-10 lead, but Cumberland fought back, closing the gap to 16-16 after a series of kills by Infante and a service error by Boyett. The score continued to swing back and forth, with both teams unable to gain a significant advantage. A timely timeout by SMWC at 23-23 allowed them to regroup and focus as the final points loomed.

Out of the timeout, SMWC's Meyer made a crucial kill from Klavins to put the Pomeroys ahead 24-23, and after a service error from Cumberland, SMWC was just one point away from taking the set. However, Cumberland fought back to tie it at 25-25 with a kill from Gallardo. But SMWC proved resilient, with Meyer and Boyett contributing key kills and a block to push the score to 28-26, completing a thrilling third-set win.

The fourth set began with SMWC's Gallardo and Green trading kills for the early 1-1 tie. SMWC briefly pulled ahead thanks to a kill from Infante, but Cumberland responded with a strong attack of its own, including a kill by Green, to keep the set close at 4-3.

A Lindner service ace capped a 3-0 run for the Pomeroys to stake them to a 13-10 advantage. Cumberland drew within 24-19 before a final service error by the Phoenix gave the Pomeroys the 25-19 victory in the set and in the match.