KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College men's volleyball team earned two impressive victories Friday at the Avila Invitational, sweeping host Avila University before rallying for a five-set win over Hastings to improve to 12-1 overall.
SMWC def. Avila 3-0
(25-12, 25-17, 25-18)
The Pomeroys continued the evening session with a dominant straight-set victory over host Avila inside Mabee Fieldhouse. SMWC hit .268 as a team and limited Avila to a .068 hitting percentage in the win.
SMWC controlled the tempo from the start, posting 12 kills in both the first and second sets while holding Avila to a combined .078 hitting percentage through two frames. The Pomeroys closed out the match with a balanced offensive attack and strong net play.
SMWC finished with 35 kills on just 13 errors, while Avila committed 19 attack errors.
Leaders for SMWC:
SMWC def. Hastings 3-2
(21-25, 25-16, 28-26, 22-25, 19-17)
Earlier in the day, the Pomeroys earned a dramatic five-set victory over Hastings in a back-and-forth battle. After dropping the opening set 25-21, SMWC responded with a strong 25-16 win in set two, hitting .385 in the frame.
The third set proved pivotal, as the Pomeroys edged Hastings 28-26 in a tightly contested battle. Hastings forced a deciding set with a 25-22 win in set four before SMWC sealed the match with a 19-17 victory in the fifth, hitting .333 in the final frame.
SMWC finished with 68 kills and a .255 hitting percentage, compared to 47 kills and a .211 mark for Hastings.
Leaders for SMWC:
With the pair of victories, the Pomeroys continued their strong start to the season heading into their next matchup.
SMWC returns to action Monday, February 16, at 6 p.m. (CT) on the road at Greenville University in Greenville, Illinois.
