RIO GRANDE, Ohio — Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College men's volleyball fell in a tightly contested five-set battle at Rio Grande, 3-2 (25-22, 20-25, 25-14, 21-25, 15-13), Friday evening in River States Conference play at Newt Oliver Arena.
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (26-8, 8-7 RSC) and Rio Grande (14-12, 6-9 RSC) traded momentum throughout the match, with neither side able to pull away until the deciding fifth set. The Pomeroys battled back twice after dropping sets, including a strong response in the fourth to force a decisive frame.
In the final set, SMWC held within striking distance, but Rio Grande capitalized late to secure the 15-13 win.
Tyler Duranceau led Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College with 11 kills, while
Bentley Meyer and
Yammiel Martinez each added seven.
Ethan Ricketts paced the offense with 19 assists, and
Michael Olak contributed 16 assists in a balanced setting effort.
Defensively,
Noah Boyett anchored the net with five total blocks, while Martinez and
Christian Green each added four.
Jenu Ngialah led the back row with nine digs.
As a team, SMWC recorded 38 kills, 37 assists, and 10 total blocks, while Rio Grande finished with 46 kills and 14 blocks, proving to be the difference in the match.
Rio Grande was led by Camilo Murillo's match-high 18 kills, while Mitch Bartecki dished out 41 assists in the victory.
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College closes out the regular season on Saturday, April 11, traveling to Midway University (Ky.). First serve is set for 2 p.m. ET. Live stats will be available at SMWCAthletics.com.
