RedStorm drops Blazers in RSC opener

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - The University of Rio Grande got off to a quick start and then battled through each of the next two sets for a 25-16, 25-23, 28-26 triumph over Ohio Christian University, Tuesday night, in River States Conference women's volleyball action at the Newt Oliver Arena.
     The host RedStorm extended their winning streak to six straight, pushing their season mark to 7-3 overall and 1-0 in the RSC.
     The Trailblazers dropped a fourth straight contest, slipping to 5-7 overall and 0-1 in league play.
     Rio spotted OCU a 3-1 advantage to begin set one, but ran off four straight winners to take a lead it would never relinquish.
     The RedStorm had two other 5-0 runs in the set, including the final five points to grab an early match lead.
     Set two was a see-saw affair which saw the Trailblazers take a 19-17 lead following a kill by Madison Blickenstaff, but Rio recorded eight of the next 12 winners to win the stanza.
     A kill by senior Shalea Byrd (Canal Winchester, OH) sealed the deal after OCU parlayed back-to-back winners to close the gap to 24-23.
     In set three, Rio Grande had a pair of early five-point cushions, including 13-8, but the Trailblazers scored six straight points to grab the lead and set the stage for a see-saw finish.
     Ten ties and four lead changes followed, with the RedStorm coughing up three match points and OCU failing to cash in one a set point opportunity at 26-25.
     Rio nailed down the win with the final three points of the night - a pair of kills by sophomore Olivia Smith (Bainbridge, OH) sandwiched around a kill by freshman Averie Bruce (Baltimore, OH).
     Smith finished with 12 kills and only one error in 26 swings, while fellow frosh Kelli Stewart (Waverly, OH) added 10 of her own.
     The RedStorm, which played without its leading hitter in senior Amanda Rarick (Canal Winchester, OH), hit .227 for the match - 46 kills, 19 errors, 119 attacks. Rarick was sidelined with a sore knee.
     Junior Sofia Otero Marrero (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico) had a team-high 21 assists and two service aces, while junior Avery Huntzinger (Canal Winchester, OH) had 15 assists and Byrd had three block assists.
     Junior Ashton Webb (Gallipolis, OH) and sophomore Kayla Sedgwick (Richwood, OH) had 12 and 10 digs, respectively, in the winning effort.
     Blickenstaff had a match-high 13 kills to go along with two solo blocks and two block assists for Ohio Christian, while Rylee Barr tallied 33 assists and Caraline Ferguson had 14 digs.
     Alexa Mader and Allison Thompson contributed five block assists and four block assists, respectively, in a losing cause.
     Rio Grande returns to action on Friday night when it opens a two-game weekend road trip at Alice Lloyd College. First serve is set for 7 p.m.