Rio Grande Sports Information
RIO GRANDE, Ohio - The University of Rio Grande women's volleyball team halted a four-match losing streak by cruising to wins over Kentucky Christian University and rival Shawnee State University in Friday's opening round of the 8th Annual Emileigh Jo Cooper Memorial Classic at the Newt Oliver Arena.
The RedStorm hammered Kentucky Christian in straight sets by scores of 25-16, 25-17, 25-18 and then took down Shawnee State 25-15, 22-25, 25-15, 25-22.
The wins sent head coach Billina Cooper Donaldson's squad back over the .500 mark for the season at 6-5.
In the opening match against KCU, Rio led from start to finish in set one and used extended scoring spurts to take control of both sets two and three.
Five straight winners in set two opened up a tight affair and produced a 13-5 cushion, while a 7-2 run capped off a set three victory.
Rio Grande, which substituted liberally throughout the contest, finished with a .264 attack percentage (38 kills, 14 errors, 91 swings).
Freshman Gracie Perkins (Wheelersburg, OH) led the hosts with nine kills to go along with a solo block and a block assist, while senior Elle McLoughlin (Zanesville, OH) had 18 assists and junior Jenna Harrison (Gallipolis, OH) tallied seven digs and four of the RedStorm's 14 service aces in the match.
Redshirt freshman Taylor Bartrum (Cherry Hill, KY) also had seven digs, while junior Nigella Reck (Covington, OH) had three service aces and junior Kelli Stewart (Waverly, OH) had eight kills, three aces and two block assists.
Kentucky Christian (1-1) hit just .073 for the contest with 21 kills and 15 errors over 82 attacks.
Khia Robinson led the Knights with 10 kills, while Grace Lewis had 10 assists and the duo of Faith Fowler and Danika Street tallied eight digs each.
In the nightcap against Shawnee State, Rio Grande rolled throughout - outside of a blip on the radar in set two.
The Bears hit just .073 for the match with 42 kills and 31 errors in 150 attacks.
The RedStorm hit .166 (52 kills, 28 errors, 145 swings) but had six service aces and 16 assisted blocks.
Stewart had 12 kills to pace the winning effort, while Bartrum and junior Averie Bruce (Baltimore, OH) were credited with 11 each.
McLoughlin had 41 assists, while Harrison had 16 digs and three aces. Perkins, McLoughlin and Bruce all had four block assists.
Hallie Oyer had 10 kills to pace Shawnee State, while Reagan Lewis and Makaela Lovely had 22 and 11 assists, respectively.
Megan Steele had a team-high 16 digs for the Bears, while Brooke Bossert totaled 14, Lewis had 12 and Ava Jenkins finished with 11. Nuria Calvo had a solo block and three block assists in the loss.
Rio Grande wraps up the two-day event, which honors the memory of former Rio assistant coach Emileigh Cooper - the late niece of Donaldson - on Saturday by facing the University of Northwestern Ohio at 11 a.m. and Ohio Christian University at 6:30 p.m.
