SAINT MARY-OF-THE-WOODS, Ind. — Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College used a balanced offensive attack and another strong defensive performance to sweep IU Columbus 25-17, 26-24, 25-20 Friday evening inside the Knoerle Center.
The Pomeroys improved to 28-1 overall and remained unbeaten in River States Conference play at 5-0.
SMWC finished with 46 kills while hitting .279 as a team. Six Pomeroys recorded at least six kills, led by
Masa Pesic with nine. Pesic added two solo blocks, while Karla Melendez-Martinez contributed eight kills, 14 digs and two service aces.
Natalie Knigga delivered seven kills without an error on 16 attacks for a .438 hitting percentage.
Sofia Soto hit .462 with six kills, while
Luci Morris recorded six kills, a .455 hitting percentage and one solo block.
Gaby Fernandez anchored the back row with a match-high 21 digs.
Leishmarie Virella and
Ariana Cruz-Gonzalez added 10 digs apiece, and Virella finished with two aces.
Lily Richards handed out 19 assists, while Cruz-Gonzalez added 15.
The Pomeroys took control of the opening set with a six-point run behind Fernandez's serve. Morris began the surge with a block before Cruz-Gonzalez and
Ryan Canter delivered kills and Fernandez followed with an ace to give SMWC a 10-4 advantage.
IU Columbus pulled within three later in the set, but SMWC responded with kills from Pesic, Melendez-Martinez, Soto, Canter and Knigga. Morris delivered a late kill before
Alexa Stiff's ace pushed the Pomeroys to set point, and an IU Columbus attack error secured the 25-17 victory.
The Crimson Pride challenged SMWC throughout the second set, erasing an early deficit and taking a 12-11 lead. The teams traded points through the middle stages before consecutive Morris kills gave the Pomeroys a 22-19 advantage.
IU Columbus answered again and fought off set point to tie the score at 24. SMWC remained composed, regaining the lead on an attack error before closing the 26-24 win on a Crimson Pride setting error.
IU Columbus opened the third set with an 8-5 advantage, but the Pomeroys responded with eight consecutive points behind Richards' serve. Pesic and Knigga combined for five kills during the run, while Pesic added a block to help turn the deficit into a 13-11 lead.
Virella later sparked another five-point SMWC run with an ace and a kill, while Morris added a kill to extend the advantage to 19-12. The Crimson Pride cut the margin to three at 23-20, but Soto stopped the rally with a kill and Knigga finished the match with her seventh kill of the afternoon.
SMWC limited IU Columbus to a .193 hitting percentage and held advantages in kills, 46-40; digs, 75-70; service aces, 7-4; and blocks, 3-1.
The Pomeroys return to the Knoerle Center on Saturday, Oct. 3, for a 1 p.m. match against IU Southeast.
