Rio Grande Sports Information
MILLIGAN, Tenn. - The University of Rio Grande women's volleyball team wrapped up play in the Milligan Mountain Madness on Saturday afternoon, cruising to a 3-1 win over the host Buffaloes and falling in five sets to Blue Mountain Christian (Miss.) University at the Steve Lacy Fieldhouse.
The RedStorm opened the day with a 25-22, 25-7, 20-25, 25-19 triumph over Milligan and then lost a see-saw affair to the Toppers 25-19, 20-25, 21-25, 25-11, 15-9.
The split left head coach Billina Donaldson's squad at 4-2 for the season.
Against Milligan, Rio Grande controlled things from nearly start to finish - outside of the third set blemish which saw the RedStorm hit just .079 (11 kills, eight errors, 38 attacks) and never enjoy a lead.
Rio finished with match with a .213 swing percentage, tallying 47 kills in 127 attacks. Senior Amanda Rarick (Canal Winchester, OH) was responsible for nearly half of the team's kill total, finishing with a match-best 20.
Junior Elle McLoughlin (Zanesville, OH) had 34 assists, six service aces, 13 digs, a solo block and four block assists in the winning effort, while sophomore Jenna Harrison (Gallipolis, OH) had 20 digs and senior Jordan Brooks (Reynoldsburg, OH) totaled a solo block and four block assists of her own.
Sophomore Averie Bruce (Baltimore, OH) also had four block assists.
The Buffaloes were led by Avery Maiden and Sierra Still, who had 13 and 12 kills, respectively, while Shelby Miller had 11 kills of her own.
Kolbie Greene had 31 assists and 13 digs in the loss, while Zoie Larkins had 14 digs.
In the second match of the day against Blue Mountain, which was among the schools receiving votes in the NAIA preseason coaches' Top 25 poll, Rio Grande shook off an opening set loss and gained control of the match with wins in each of the next two stanzas.
The Toppers, however, scored five of the first six winners in set four and never looked back en route to forcing a fifth and deciding set.
The RedStorm also trailed 5-1 in set five before later pulling within 10-9 following the second of back-to-back kills by Rarick.
BMC stifled the rally, though, and closed out the match by scoring the final five points.
Rae Ann Hall led the Toppers with 11 kills and three service aces, while Olivia Domino and Hailey Oliver were credited with 21 and 15 assists, respectively.
Jaiyah Jackson had 22 digs for BMC, while Kaytie Rutland had a solo block and two block assists.
Rarick and sophomore Kelli Stewart (Waverly, OH) had 13 kills each in a losing cause for Rio, while junior Olivia Smith (Bainbridge, OH) had 11 kills and 14 digs. Rarick and Bruce also had a solo block and two block assists each.
McLoughlin had a match-high 40 assists to go along with 12 digs, Harrison finished with a team-best 16 digs and freshman Lydia Steyer (Perrysburg, OH) totaled 14 digs and a pair of service aces for the RedStorm.
Rio finished the match with 49 kills and 39 errors in 165 swings for an attack percentage of just .061.
Rio Grande will return to action on Wednesday when it entertains Mount Vernon Nazarene University in the 2024 home opener.
First serve is set for 6 p.m. at the Newt Oliver Arena.
