Rio Grande sets new team record, outlasts Eagles in five sets

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - The University of Rio Grande set a new team record for blocks and Bobby Meifert established a new match record for digs as the RedStorm outlasted Midway University 25-21, 28-30, 25-21, 21-25, 15-13 in Mid-South Conference men's volleyball action, Thursday night, at the Newt Oliver Arena.
     The RedStorm improved to 5-11 overall and 2-4 in conference play with the win, completing a regular season sweep of the Eagles in the process.
     Midway dropped to 5-8 overall and 0-6 in the MSC.
     Rio Grande finished with three solo blocks and 28 block assists for the equivalent of 17 blocks, surpassing the previous team record of 10 total blocks (7 solos, 6 assists) set in a 3-1 loss to Thomas More University on Feb. 18, 2022.
     Meifert, a sophomore from Bolingbrook, Ill., closed the night with 23 digs to erase the previous single-match high of 14 set by Juan Carlos Polanco against Carlow on Feb. 22, 2022.
     Sophomore Seth Mohr (Canton, OH), who was thrust in the role of setter after freshman Mitch Bartecki (New Lenox, IL) was lost for the season due to injury in last Saturday's loss to Campbellsville, finished with 46 assists.
     Junior Caden Donaldson (Jackson, OH) followed up the school-record 27-kill effort against Campbellsville - which earned him RSC Attacker of the Week honors - with 24 kills against Midway. He also backed Meifert with 11 digs.
     Sophomore Sam Kaylor (Lewis Center, OH) added 16 kills of his own in the winning effort, while sophomores Ethan Johnson (Hamilton, OH) and Griffin Smith (Trenton, OH) had nine and eight block assists, respectively.
     Rio Grande finished with 59 kills and 24 errors in 154 swings for a .227 attack percentage.
     The RedStorm reeled off three straight winners in set one to open up a 14-10 and led by no less than three points for the remainder of the set.
     Midway fought off a pair of set point chances by the RedStorm in set two and had three of the final four winners to even the match.
     Rio regained the match advantage by rallying from an 18-17 deficit in set three, but the Eagles rebounded to force a deciding stanza by scoring four straight winners to wipe out a 12-10 deficit and grab a lead that they wouldn't relinquish.
     Rio Grande never trailed and was tied just once - at 1-1 - in the final period, closing things out on a pair of kills by Donaldson.
     Midway finished with a .206 attack percentage, tallying 66 kills and 33 errors in 160 swings.
     Victor Bazzo had a match-best 37 kills to go along with 12 digs, while Jonathan McGuyer and Joey Boujaoude had 10 kills each.
     Daniel Cogo had a match-best 54 assists in a losing cause, while Colton Marsh and Martin Walker had 16 digs each.
     Rio Grande returns to action on Friday, hosting the first two matches of a quad event that will continue on Saturday.
     Lawrence Tech (Mich.) will face St. Andrews (N.C.) at 4 p.m., while Rio Grande will tangle with Lawrence Tech in the 7 p.m. nightcap.
     Matches are scheduled for noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday with Cumberland (Tenn.) joining the action.