SAINT MARY-OF-THE-WOODS, Ind. — Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College rallied from a two-set deficit to force a deciding fifth set Saturday before falling to Indiana University Kokomo in the River States Conference women's volleyball championship match at the Knoerle Center.
The Pomeroys dropped the first two sets before answering with consecutive victories in an 18-25, 13-25, 27-25, 25-20, 5-15 loss. SMWC moved to 40-2, while IU Kokomo improved to 26-7.
Karla Melendez-Martinez led SMWC with 22 kills and 19 digs.
Gaby Fernandez anchored the defense with 28 digs and added nine assists, two kills and an ace.
Leishmarie Virella contributed 19 digs and an ace as the Pomeroys finished with 110 digs.
Ariana Cruz-Gonzalez recorded 25 assists and 11 digs, while
Lily Richards added 19 assists and 13 digs.
Kelstin Burnette finished with eight kills,
Natalie Knigga and Masa Pešic each had seven, and
Luci Morris contributed six. Knigga hit .333 with just one error in 18 attempts, and
Sofia Soto led SMWC with three block assists.
After losing the opening two sets, SMWC produced its strongest offensive performance in the third, collecting 18 kills with three errors for a .242 hitting percentage.
Melendez-Martinez helped establish the Pomeroys' early advantage, and Burnette teamed with Soto for a block before adding a kill for a 4-2 lead. With the set later tied at 13, consecutive Melendez-Martinez kills put SMWC ahead, and a combined block by Soto and Pešic extended the margin to 16-13.
Soto and Pešic paired for another block to make it 17-15, and Knigga followed with consecutive kills off assists from Fernandez and Richards. Kills by Pešic, Morris and Burnette helped the Pomeroys build a 23-17 advantage.
IU Kokomo responded with five straight points before Cruz-Gonzalez delivered a kill to give SMWC set point at 24-22. The Cougars pulled even at 24, but Burnette answered with a kill off a Cruz-Gonzalez assist. After another tie at 25, Burnette again connected from Cruz-Gonzalez, and Pešic finished the set with a kill off a Richards assist to keep the Pomeroys alive.
SMWC faced another deficit in the fourth set, trailing 8-5 and 9-6 before rallying. A Pešic kill began a four-point run, with Melendez-Martinez adding a kill from Fernandez as the Pomeroys moved ahead 10-9.
With the score tied at 11, Morris put SMWC in front with a kill from Cruz-Gonzalez. A Cougar attack error and another Melendez-Martinez kill pushed the lead to 14-11, prompting an IU Kokomo timeout. Virella followed the break with an ace to complete the four-point run.
Fernandez added a kill, and Burnette later connected to give SMWC an 18-14 lead. When IU Kokomo closed within 18-17, Richards answered with a kill off a Fernandez assist. Knigga supplied another kill for a 20-18 advantage, and Fernandez's ace capped a three-point stretch that extended the lead to 22-18.
Burnette delivered the final kill off a Cruz-Gonzalez assist to secure the fourth set, 25-20, and send the championship match to a fifth.
IU Kokomo opened the deciding set with three straight points and built leads of 6-1 and 11-2. Melendez-Martinez recorded three kills in the set, but the Cougars hit .444 without an attack error to close out the match.
Mya Grigsby led IU Kokomo with 29 kills and 15 digs. Cali Cummings added 11 kills and six blocks, while Avery Littrell collected 33 digs.
SMWC will learn its national tournament assignment during the NAIA women's volleyball selection show, which will air live on YouTube at 5 p.m. EST Monday, Nov. 16. The NAIA National Championship Opening Round is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 21, with the Pomeroys' opponent, location and match time to be announced.
