SAINT MARY-OF-THE-WOODS, Ind. — Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College men's volleyball opened strong but could not hold off a late surge from Oakland City University, falling in four sets (25-22, 20-25, 16-25, 21-25) Tuesday evening in River States Conference action inside the Jeanne Knoerle Sports and Recreation Center.

The Pomeroys (24-7, 6-6 RSC) took control early, hitting .357 in the opening set behind a balanced offensive attack to secure a 25-22 win. SMWC totaled 15 kills in the frame, setting the tone with efficient offense and steady passing.

Oakland City (16-8, 7-5 RSC) responded in the second set, using a .310 hitting percentage to even the match at 1-1. The Mighty Oaks carried that momentum into the third, where they limited SMWC to a .032 hitting percentage while posting a match-best .379 clip to take a 2-1 lead.

In the fourth, the Pomeroys stayed within striking distance but were unable to overcome Oakland City's offensive consistency, as the visitors closed out the match with a 25-21 set win.

Christian Green and Tyler Duranceau paced SMWC with 12 kills each, while Bentley Meyer added nine kills and contributed across the stat sheet. Ethan Ricketts dished out 39 assists to lead the Pomeroy offense, while Trevin Matsuba anchored the defense with 11 digs.

Francesco Tedeschi provided a spark from the service line with three aces, and Daniel Musa led the net presence with two blocks.

As a team, SMWC recorded 47 kills and 44 assists but was limited to a .176 hitting percentage, compared to Oakland City's .269 mark.

Up Next
The Pomeroys return to action Friday, April 3, traveling to Owensboro, Kentucky, to face Brescia University at 7 p.m. CT in River States Conference play. Live stats will be available at SMWCAthletics.com.