Rio extends streak with sweep of Shawnee State

Rio Grande Sports Information
     PORTSMOUTH, Ohio - The University of Rio Grande started fast and never looked back, cruising to a straight sets (25-16, 25-23, 25-18) win over rival Shawnee State University, Saturday afternoon, in River States Conference women's volleyball action at the Frank & Janis Waller Gymnasium.
     The RedStorm, who won for a fourth straight time and for the 11th time in their last 12 outings, improved to 15-4 overall and 4-0 in league play with the victory.
     The host Bears dropped to 6-7 overall and 0-2 in the RSC as a result of the loss.
     Rio Grande posted a .364 attack percentage in the opening set, finishing with 14 kills and just two errors in 33 swings.
     The RedStorm trailed 3-0 out of the gate, but reeled off the next five winners and never trailed again in the set.
     Shawnee State enjoyed a 23-22 lead in a see-saw second stanza, but Rio finished with the final three points of the period - capped by a kill from sophomore Kelli Stewart (Waverly, OH) - to take a commanding match lead.
     The Bears also led 3-2 to begin the third set, but the RedStorm responded with five consecutive points - including back-to-back kills by freshman Katelynn Coey (Glouster, OH) - to take a lead they would never relinquish.
     Rio finished with a .235 attack percentage for the match, posting 44 kills and 16 errors over 119 swings.
     Stewart had 10 kills to lead a balanced effort along the net, while junior Elle McLoughlin (Zanesville, OH) had 36 assists and sophomore Jenna Harrison (Gallipolis, OH) finished with 22 digs.
     Senior Sofia Otero Marrero (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico) tallied 11 digs of her own and a trio of service aces, while sophomore Regan Wilcoxon (Gallipolis, OH) also had 11 digs.
     Sophomore Averie Bruce (Baltimore, OH) added two solo blocks in the winning effort.
     Shawnee State hit just .108 for the match (34 kills, 21 errors, 120 attacks).
     Megan Steele led the Bears with 10 kills and 19 digs, while Makaela Lovely had 17 assists and Ava Jenkins tallied 15 digs of her own.
     Kylee Gifford recorded a solo block and a block assist in the loss for SSU.
     Rio Grande is scheduled to return to action on Tuesday night when it travels to Indiana University East looking to secure a season sweep of the Red Wolves.
     First serve is set for 6 p.m. at Lingle Court in Richmond, Ind.