RICHMOND, Ind. — Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College remained perfect in River States Conference play Saturday, sweeping Indiana University East 25-12, 25-20, 25-19.
The Pomeroys improved to 31-1 overall and 8-0 in the RSC with their latest straight-set victory.
SMWC wasted no time seizing control of the opening set.
Leishmarie Virella began the match with a service ace before Karla Melendez-Martinez delivered consecutive kills and
Ryan Canter added another to complete a 5-0 opening run.
The Pomeroys continued to pull away behind their balanced attack. A Melendez-Martinez kill started a six-point surge that stretched the advantage to 19-7, with Canter contributing a kill and joining
Sofia Soto for a block during the run.
Masa Pesic and Soto supplied the final two kills as SMWC secured the set, 25-12.
SMWC recorded 18 kills without an attack error in the opening frame, hitting .621 as a team.
Indiana East responded by scoring the first five points of the second set, but the Pomeroys quickly worked their way back. Consecutive kills by Melendez-Martinez and a pair of Red Wolves errors helped SMWC pull even at 6-6.
A Pesic kill gave the Pomeroys their first lead of the set at 9-8. SMWC later created separation with a three-point run that extended its advantage to 17-12. The Pomeroys pushed the margin to 21-14 behind kills from Melendez-Martinez and Canter before
Natalie Knigga moved SMWC to set point.
Gaby Fernandez finished the 25-20 victory with a service ace.
The Pomeroys carried that momentum into the third set, racing to another 5-0 lead. Melendez-Martinez opened the scoring with a kill, Soto and Melendez-Martinez combined for a block and Virella delivered three consecutive service aces.
Indiana East trimmed the SMWC lead to 12-11, but the Pomeroys answered with four straight points. Knigga contributed a kill before Virella capped the response with another ace, giving SMWC a 16-11 advantage.
The Red Wolves made one final push, cutting a seven-point deficit to 21-18. SMWC closed the door by taking four of the final five points, with Pesic providing a late kill and Knigga delivering the match-clinching swing for a 25-19 win.
Melendez-Martinez led the Pomeroys with 13 kills on a .324 hitting percentage and added nine digs. Pesic finished with 11 kills and hit .500, while Canter recorded seven kills and two block assists.
Virella filled the stat sheet with five service aces and 11 digs. Fernandez collected a match-high 18 digs and two aces, while
Ariana Cruz-Gonzalez contributed 19 assists and 15 digs.
Ayiana Nieves added 10 assists, and Soto totaled four kills and a match-high four blocks.
SMWC finished with a 42-27 advantage in kills and outhit Indiana East .254 to .107. The Pomeroys also recorded eight service aces and 67 digs.
The Pomeroys return to the Jeanne Knoerle Sports and Recreation Center at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, for an RSC match against Kentucky Christian University. The contest will serve as Youth Night.
