By CAITIE SMITH
For Rio Grande Sports Information
RIO GRANDE, OHIO - The University of Rio Grande women's volleyball team split a pair of matches on Saturday in the 8th Annual Emileigh Jo Cooper Memorial Classic, defeating University of Northwestern Ohio 3-1 (25-15, 26-24, 20-25, 25-21) before suffering a sweep at the hands of eventual tournament champion Ohio Christian University (19-25, 20-25, 22-25) to conclude the event at the Newt Oliver Arena.
Although the RedStorm took a 2-0 match lead in the opener, head coach Billina Cooper Donaldson's squad had to find redemption after UNOH continued to pressure and took the third frame. A rebound win in set four sealed the victory for hosts.
The duo of freshman Gracie Perkins (Wheelersburg, OH) and junior Kelli Stewart (Waverly, OH) led the way with double-digit kills at 11 and 13, respectively, while redshirt freshman Taylor Bartrum (Cherry Hill, KY) nearly joined them in the statistic by tallying nine slams.
Perkins delivered a stellar .348 hitting percentage and senior setter Elle McLoughlin (Zanesville, OH) dished out 42 assists.
Stewart guided Rio through an 8-0 rally early in the opening set to put Rio up 12-5, and then responded with seven of the next 10 points for a 20-11 advantage. The RedStorm closed out the frame with five of the final seven winners.
The Racers began to pressure in the second set, picking up the first three points and continuing to hold the momentum, forcing a cat-and-mouse affair throughout the set.
Three consecutive points from Rio late in the frame, including back-to-back kills from Perkins and McLoughlin forced a UNOH timeout after the RedStorm took a 19-17 advantage.
The back-and-forth continued as the Racers forced an extra set point before a pair of kills from junior Tia Cooper (Indianapolis, IN) sealed the set for Rio.
The Racers rebounded to take the third set, and continued to battle, evening the score in the fourth set as late as 18-18 before Rio rallied for five straight points, including two kills from Perkins and an ace from Stewart to regain the momentum and secure the victory.
Bartrum reached double-digit kills in the finale against Ohio Christian, tallying 10 and adding five digs. Junior Jenna Harrison (Gallipolis, OH) led the way with 22 digs.
Rio led in the first frame, 13-8, before OCU registered six consecutive points to take a 14-13 lead. It then became a back-and-forth event until the Trailblazers posted eight straight points to once again take the lead and secure the first set.
Rio led again late in Set 2, up 20-18, before OCU once again rallied, tallying the final seven points of the frame and picking up a commanding match lead.
The Trailblazers carried that momentum into the third set, leading by as many as seven points before Rio trimmed the deficit to just two points at 24-22.
However, an OCU block sealed the set.
Rio Grande will return to action next Saturday when it hosts Georgetown (Ky.) College at noon and the University of Pikeville at 2 p.m.
