RedStorm men sweep Red Wolves

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - The University of Rio Grande recorded its best performance of the season at the net and rolled to a 25-23, 25-22, 25-19 triumph over Indiana University East, Saturday afternoon, in the River States Conference men's volleyball Match of the Week at the Newt Oliver Arena.
     The RedStorm won for a third straight time, improving to 13-9 overall and 5-6 in conference play.
     IU East, which had dealt head coach Nick Rawls' squad a four-set loss on Feb. 28, slipped to 6-9 overall and 4-7 in the RSC.
     Rio Grande recorded its highest attack percentage of the season (.456) after finishing with 42 kills and 11 errors in 68 total swings.
     It was the second-highest such figure in program history, topped only by a .507 mark in a win over Midway University on April 9, 2024.
     Despite the lofty hitting numbers, the RedStorm trailed 21-19 in the opening set before closing the period on 6-2 run.
     The Red Wolves hung tough, but never led in set two after Rio bolted to a quick 6-1 advantage, and the RedStorm trailed only once - 13-12 - in set three.
     Sophomore Camilo Murillo (Cali, Colombia) led Rio Grande with 15 kills, while fellow sophomore Daniel Rivas (Valle Del Cauca, Colombia) had 11 kills and a team-best three service aces and senior Mitch Bartecki (Valparaiso, IN) tallied 35 assists.
     Junior Otavio Tonoli (Campinas, Brazil) led the RedStorm with six digs and senior Josef Iten (Sacramento, CA) had one solo block and three block assists.
     IU East, which finished with 32 kills and 15 errors in 68 swings for a .250 attack percentage, was led by Vinicius Lopes with 14 kills and five digs and Brayden Richardson with 20 assists.
     Judah Davis had three block assists for the Red Wolves.
     Rio Grande is scheduled to return to action on Tuesday night when it hosts Georgetown (Ky.) College in another RSC contest.
     First serve is set for 7 p.m.