NEW ALBANY, Ind. — Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College women's volleyball continued its impressive season Saturday afternoon, sweeping Indiana University Southeast 25-16, 30-28, 25-21 in River States Conference action at the IUS Activities Building.
The Pomeroys (34-1, 11-0 RSC) remained unbeaten in conference play behind a balanced offensive attack and a dominant performance at the net, finishing with 12 team blocks while holding the Grenadiers to a .148 hitting percentage.
Karla Melendez-Martinez led the SMWC offense with a match-high 15 kills on a .367 hitting percentage, adding seven digs, two solo blocks and a service ace.
Masa Pesic delivered an outstanding performance with 12 kills on 20 attempts and just one error, hitting .550 while contributing three blocks.
Ryan Canter added seven kills on a .316 hitting percentage, while
Gaby Fernandez anchored the back row with a match-high 19 digs.
After falling behind 4-3 early, the Pomeroys seized control with a 10-point scoring run behind the serving of
Lily Richards. Pesic sparked the surge with a kill before Richards delivered two service aces and Melendez-Martinez added another finish to build a 13-4 advantage. IU Southeast briefly cut into the deficit, but the Pomeroys maintained control as Melendez-Martinez continued to find openings in the Grenadiers' defense. With SMWC leading 23-16,
Alexa Orozco delivered a kill before Pesic finished the opening frame with another attack.
IU Southeast responded with its strongest stretch of the afternoon, turning the middle portion of the match into a back-and-forth battle featuring 17 ties and seven lead changes. The Grenadiers used a late surge to take a 21-19 advantage before the Pomeroys answered with a block from Melendez-Martinez and a kill from the outside hitter to reclaim a 22-21 lead. IU Southeast continued to apply pressure and earned opportunities to close out the frame, but SMWC repeatedly responded. Orozco erased a 24-23 deficit with a kill, while Pesic answered another Grenadiers advantage to even the score at 25. Melendez-Martinez later tied the contest at 26 before a combined block from Richards and
Ellie Kleve put the Pomeroys in front. After the teams traded points again, Canter delivered consecutive late kills to give SMWC a 29-28 edge, and Pesic finished the extended battle with the decisive kill for a 30-28 victory.
Carrying that momentum forward, the Pomeroys turned to their defense to complete the sweep. A service ace from
Harper Ash helped SMWC build a 5-2 advantage before a combined block from Canter and
Luci Morris pushed the lead to 6-3. The Grenadiers remained within striking distance, but SMWC created separation midway through the frame as
Megan Jacobson delivered a service ace and the Pomeroys extended their advantage to 13-8. Leading 15-13, SMWC rattled off four consecutive points, highlighted by a block from Morris and Pesic and another Pesic kill, to stretch the margin to 19-13.
IU Southeast mounted one final push, scoring four consecutive points to trim a 22-17 deficit to 22-21. Canter stopped the rally with a crucial kill, and the Pomeroys closed the match with consecutive blocks involving
Sofia Soto, Canter and Morris to seal the three-set victory.
SMWC finished with 43 kills on a .257 hitting percentage, five service aces and 54 digs. Richards contributed 17 assists, six digs and two aces, while
Ariana Cruz-Gonzalez distributed a team-high 20 assists and added five digs. Soto was instrumental in the Pomeroys' defensive effort with four blocks, while Morris contributed four block assists.
Nicole Stratford led IU Southeast with 10 kills and 11 digs, while Jordan Vaughan and Raegan Glover finished with nine kills apiece. Carly Mason recorded 34 assists for the Grenadiers.
The victory completed a successful weekend road trip for the Pomeroys and kept SMWC unbeaten in River States Conference play.
UP NEXT: Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College returns to the road Tuesday, Oct. 27, for a River States Conference showdown against Indiana University Kokomo. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Kokomo, Indiana.
