Rio Grande Sports Information
RIO GRANDE, Ohio - The University of Rio Grande posted a pair of non-conference victories over familiar foes on Saturday, dropping Georgetown (Ky.) College and the University of Pikeville in women's volleyball action at the Newt Oliver Arena.
The RedStorm routed Georgetown in straight sets by scores of 25-18, 25-9, 25-12 before taking down UPike by scores of 25-21, 20-25, 25-16, 25-15.
The wins moved head coach Billina Cooper Donaldson's squad to 9-6 on the season.
Rio dominated the opener with the Tigers, tallying a .299 swing percentage (41 kills, 12 errors, 97 swings) and using extended scoring runs in all three stanzas to take control.
A 9-2 run in set one transformed a 7-5 deficit into a 14-9 lead, while a 21-4 stretch closed out set two and 17-1 spurt in set three produced a 21-4 advantage.
Junior Kelli Stewart (Waverly, OH) led Rio with 11 kills, while senior Elle McLoughlin (Zanesville, OH) had 34 assists and 10 digs and junior Jenna Harrison (Gallipolis, OH) had a team-high 15 digs and three service aces.
Redshirt freshman Taylor Bartrum (Cherry Hill, KY) also had 10 digs and joined freshman Gracie Perkins (Wheelersburg, OH) and junior Avery Bruce (Baltimore, OH) with two block assists each.
Georgetown hit -.050, with five more attack errors (22) than kills (17) in 100 attacks.
Mallori Dunn-Martin led the Tigers with five kills, while Reagan Miller had 10 assists and 10 digs. Abby Walker also had 10 digs and Giara Ferrari had three block assists.
Against Pikeville, Rio scored the final two winners to seal set one, but fell behind 8-1 in the second stanza as the Bears went on to even the match.
The RedStorm opened set three with a 12-4 lead and UPike got no closer than six the rest of the way, while a string of five straight winners helped create a 16-9 cushion and fueled a victory-clinching finish.
Perkins, Stewart and junior Tia Cooper (Indianapolis, IN) had 10 kills each to spark the winning effort, while McLoughlin had 42 assists, 11 digs and four service aces. Perkins also had a solo block and five block assists and Stewart had a trio of aces.
Harrison had 19 digs in the victory, while Bartrum had 13 of her own and the duo of Stewart and junior Nigella Reck (Covington, OH) had 10 apiece.
Cassidy Rivas had 11 kills and 15 digs for Pikeville, while Lanie Hawley tallied 10 kills and Chloie Brinton had 28 assists and 22 digs.
Ashtyn Filkins and Lyla Reed added 10 digs each in a losing cause and Theresa Romero had three block assists.
Rio Grande returns to action on Friday night when it opens a two-game weekend homestand against Indiana University East.
First serve is set for 6 p.m.
