RedStorm rebounds with sweep of Grenadiers

Rio Grande Sports Information
     NEW ALBANY, Ind. - After seeing its nine-game winning streak snapped just hours before, the University of Rio Grande women's volleyball team recorded just the kind of rebound effort that it needed.
     The RedStorm rallied late in set one and went on to post a sweep of Indiana University Southeast by scores of 25-23, 25-22, 25-19, Saturday afternoon, in River States Conference action at the IUS Activities Building.
     Rio Grande improved to 17-7 overall and 6-1 in the RSC with the victory.
     The host Grenadiers dropped to 11-4 overall and 4-3 in league play.
     Rio Grande rallied to score the final three winners in the opening period to grab an early match lead, before pulling away midway through set two and leading nearly from start to finish in the final stanza.
     A kill by junior Averie Bruce (Baltimore, OH) sandwiched around a service error and a setting error from the home team allowed the RedStorm to erase a 23-22 deficit in set one.
     Rio led just 11-10 in set two after a kill by IUS' Ella Brooks, but the RedStorm reeled off nine of the next 13 points to open up a 20-14 cushion and, eventually, a commanding match lead.
     The Grenadiers scored the first two winners in set three, but Rio Grande responded with five straight points and never trailed again, leading by as many as eight points on two different occasions late in the set.
     Rio Grande finished with a .233 attack percentage, tallying 38 kills and 14 errors in 103 swings.
     Junior Kelli Stewart (Waverly, OH) led the winning effort with 13 kills and 13 digs, while senior Elle McLoughlin (Zanesville, OH) had 26 assists and three of Rio's seven service aces.
     Redshirt freshman Taylor Bartrum (Catlettsburg, KY) had 10 digs of her own, while senior Jillian Gardner (Marysville, OH) had three solo blocks.
     Brooks had a match-best 17 kills and 14 digs to pace the Grenadiers, while Carly Mason and Esther Woodward tallied 24 and 13 assists, respectively.
     Ella Davidson and Nicole Stratford added 11 and 10 digs, respectively, in a losing cause, while Madison Ramsey had two solo blocks.
     Southeast finished with .209 swing percentage (40 kills, 16 errors, 115 attacks).
     Rio Grande returns to action on Tuesday night with a non-conference affair at Georgetown (Ky.) College.
     First serve is slated for 6:30 p.m.