RedStorm women post sweep of Pioneers

Rio Grande Sports Information
     RIO GRANDE, Ohio - The University of Rio Grande started fast and never let up, rolling to a 3-0 sweep of Point Park University, Tuesday night, in River States Conference women's volleyball action at the Newt Oliver Arena.
     The RedStorm recorded their ninth straight win by scores of 25-17, 25-23 and 25-16, improving to 10-3 overall and 4-0 in conference play.
     Point Park dropped to 3-6 overall and 1-2 in the RSC with the loss.
     Rio Grande tallied a blistering .483 attack percentage in the opening set, with 15 kills and only one error in 29 swings.
     Still, the RedStorm spotted their guests a 3-0 lead to begin the night before reeling off five straight winners to take a lead it would never relinquish en route to the early match lead.
     Rio was also strong at the net in set two, posting a .324 attack percentage (15 kills, 3 errors, 37 swings), but the RedStorm had to shake off an 18-14 deficit by scoring 11 of the final 16 winners - including the final two to snap a 23-all tie - to grab a commanding advantage.
     The RedStorm never trailed in the final stanza, but it was a 5-0 run after senior Shalea Byrd (Canal Winchester, OH) went down with an apparent knee injury, which buried the Pioneers once and for all. The streak gave Rio a 20-10 cushion and PPU got no closer than eight points the rest of the way.
     Rio Grande, which played without the services of its leading hitter - senior Amanda Rarick (Canal Winchester, OH) for the second time in three games - finished with a .308 attack percentage for the match, committing just nine errors in 104 total swings.
     Junior Jordan Brooks (Reynoldsburg, OH) and freshman Averie Bruce (Baltimore, OH) led a balanced attack with eight kills apiece, while juniors Avery Huntzinger (Canal Winchester, OH) and Sofia Otero Marrero (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico) were credited with 22 and 15 assists, respectively. Brooks also had three solo blocks and one block assist.
     Junior Ashton Webb (Gallipolis, OH) had 20 digs to lead the RedStorm, while sophomore Kayla Sedgwick (Richwood, OH) added 10 of her own.
     Eden McElhaney had a team-high 10 kills and 12 digs for Point Park, which finished with 36 kills and 23 errors in 120 attacks for a .108 swing percentage.
     Ashlynn Gulakowski and Elise Wallace had 14 assists each in the loss for the Pioneers, while Lily Marchand also had 11 digs.
     Rio Grande continues its current homestand on Friday night when it hosts Indiana University East in a 7 p.m. first serve.