LEBANON, Tenn. – The Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (SMWC) men's volleyball team continued its impressive run with a hard-fought 3-1 road victory over Cumberland University (Tenn.) on Tuesday evening at Dallas Floyd Arena. The win marks the Pomeroys' third consecutive triumph over a team appearing in the NAIA National Rankings and improves their record to 21-6 overall and 5-5 in River States Conference (RSC) play.
The Pomeroys, who have now secured back-to-back wins over Cumberland, dropped the first set but responded with three straight to claim the victory. SMWC finished with a .364 hitting percentage while holding the Phoenix to a .257 clip.
Match Summary
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods 3, Cumberland 1
Set Scores: 16-25, 25-22, 25-19, 25-21
Key Performers for SMWC:
SMWC's balanced effort outmatched Cumberland in key statistical categories, finishing with 55 kills to Cumberland's 51, along with 13 total blocks compared to the Phoenix's seven.
Cumberland jumped out to an early 3-0 lead behind a service ace from Gallardo and a kill from Corradini. However, SMWC quickly responded, capitalizing on a service error and a kill by Meyer off a Klavins assist to stay within striking distance. The back-and-forth battle continued, with both teams trading points as the Pomeroys edged ahead 10-8 after a kill by Boyett.
A pair of key blocks by Martinez and Klavins, combined with a service ace from Matsuba, helped SMWC push its lead to 12-8. Cumberland managed to rally, tying the set at 13-13 behind a strong effort from Whyte and Infante. But the Pomeroys had an answer, as Green delivered a series of powerful kills to give SMWC a 16-15 advantage.
Cumberland called a timeout after an attack error by Gallardo put SMWC up 18-16. The break did little to slow the Pomeroys, who extended their lead to 21-19 after another kill by Green. Meyer followed with a clutch putaway to bring SMWC within two points of closing out the set.
With the set on the line, Banister stepped up with a critical kill to put SMWC at set point. Lindner sealed the win moments later with a service ace, clinching the 25-22 victory and leveling the match at 1-1.
In the third set, Cumberland jumped out to a 5-1 lead before SMWC responded with a timeout. Out of the break, Meyer and Szadorski sparked the offense, while Matsuba's strong net presence helped the Pomeroys claw back to an 8-6 advantage. A series of attack errors from the Phoenix allowed SMWC to extend its lead to 13-10, forcing a Cumberland timeout.
Green took over late in the set, recording a series of kills and helping SMWC build a 19-14 cushion. Boyett and Szadorski delivered in the final stretch, with Szadorski capping the set with a service ace to seal the 25-19 win.
A back-and-forth start to the fourth set, saw Green and Szadorski lead the Pomeroys offensively, keeping the score tied at 4-4. However, Cumberland capitalized on SMWC errors to build a 9-5 lead. Boyett and Lindner responded with strong net play, blocking consecutive attacks to bring SMWC within three at 12-9.
The Pomeroys continued to battle, with Meyer and Matsuba delivering key kills to close the gap to 16-12. Green's service ace made it 18-11, but Cumberland held firm, using timely kills from Ferrell and Infante to keep SMWC at bay.
Down 24-21, the Pomeroys posted a block from Meyer and Klavins to seal the match victory.
Up Next
The Pomeroys return home to the Knoerle Center on Saturday, March 29, for an RSC matchup against Brescia (Ky.). First serve is set for 3 p.m. ET.
