SAINT MARY-OF-THE-WOODS, Ind. — Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College extended the best start in program history and ended one of the River States Conference's longest runs of dominance Tuesday night, sweeping preseason favorite IU Kokomo 25-15, 25-18, 25-16 inside the Knoerle Center.
The Pomeroys improved to 23-0 overall and 3-0 in conference play before a crowd of 310. IU Kokomo fell to 9-6 overall and 2-1 in the RSC.
The victory snapped the Cougars' 56-match RSC regular-season winning streak. IU Kokomo's previous conference loss came Oct. 28, 2022, in a 3-1 setback against IU East. The Cougars had not been swept in an RSC match since a 3-0 loss to Rio Grande on Oct. 22, 2016.
IU Kokomo entered the season as the favorite to win the conference after receiving eight first-place votes in the RSC preseason coaches' poll. SMWC was picked second.
The Pomeroys controlled Tuesday's match with their defense, serving and balanced attack. SMWC held the Cougars to a .019 hitting percentage with 26 kills and 24 attack errors. The Pomeroys hit .243 with 37 kills, collected eight service aces and finished with six total blocks.
Karla Melendez Martinez and
Ryan Canter led SMWC with seven kills apiece. Canter hit .250, while
Sofia Soto recorded six kills with a .385 hitting percentage.
Masa Pesic added six kills and hit .286.
Natalie Knigga finished with four kills on 10 errorless swings and two solo blocks.
Luci Morris contributed three kills, two solo blocks and one block assist.
Lily Richards directed the offense with 12 assists and two service aces, while
Ariana Cruz-Gonzalez recorded 10 assists, six digs and one kill.
Gaby Fernandez anchored the defensive effort with a match-high 21 digs while adding two aces and two kills.
Leishmarie Virella finished with 10 digs, and Melendez Martinez added six digs and two aces.
IU Kokomo grabbed a 9-7 advantage during a back-and-forth opening set, but SMWC responded by winning 10 of the next 12 points. Knigga started the charge with a kill before Richards delivered an ace that put the Pomeroys in front 11-9.
With the score tied at 11, SMWC scored six consecutive points during a Virella service run to build a 17-11 advantage. The Pomeroys later closed the set with four straight points. Soto started the finishing run with a kill, Knigga and the combination of Pesic and Soto followed with blocks, and Melendez Martinez delivered an ace to complete the 25-15 win.
SMWC raced to a 7-2 advantage in the second set behind an early kill from Richards and two kills from Melendez Martinez. IU Kokomo fought back and tied the set at 16 before moving ahead 18-17.
Canter answered with a kill to even the score, beginning a run of seven consecutive SMWC points to close the set. Morris supplied two blocks and a kill during the decisive stretch, while Canter put the Pomeroys at set point before a Kokomo attack error finished the 25-18 victory.
The third set featured nine ties, the last coming at 11-11. Canter broke the tie with a kill, Melendez Martinez followed with another, and Fernandez capped a four-point run with a kill that gave SMWC a 15-11 lead.
IU Kokomo pulled within 17-15, but the Pomeroys delivered another commanding response. Pesic started a seven-point run with consecutive kills before Morris and Knigga added kills. Fernandez then produced two aces during the run to push the advantage to 24-15.
Pesic ended the match with her sixth kill, securing the 25-16 victory and SMWC's historic sweep.
The Pomeroys return to action Friday, Sept. 18, when they host Calumet College of St. Joseph. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET inside the Knoerle Center.
