RIO GRANDE, Ohio – Grenadier volleyball mounted a furious comeback but ultimately came up short, falling 3-1 to the Rio Grande Red Storm Saturday.
Nicole Stratford led the Grenadier attack with 19 kills, followed by Avynn Belding with 13. Stratford also finished the match tied with Ella Davidson in digs with 13 each. Carly Mason recorded 45 assists and had a pair of blocks. Jordan Vaughan led IU Southeast with 3.0 blocks.
IU Southeast is now 7-12 (4-3 RSC) following Saturday's loss to the Red Storm. The Grenadiers will be back at home for a five-game homestand, starting Friday with a 6:00 p.m. match against the Midway Eagles at the IUS Activities Building.
Set 1: Rio Grande 25, IU Southeast 17
The Grenadiers and the Red Storm were tied 11-11 before Rio Grande went on a big run. The Red Storm went on a 12-6 run to go up 23-17 and would go onto win the set 25-17.
Set 2: Rio Grande 25, IU Southeast 23
Set two saw the teams split the first 20 points of set two, but then the Red Storm went on a 7-2 run to go up 17-12. The Grenadiers responded with a 7-1 run to go up 19-18. Later, after a 5-2 Rio Grande run, the Grenadiers cut the lead to 24-23, but came up short and fell behind 2-0 in the match.
Set 3: IU Southeast 25, Rio Grande 16
The Grenadiers jumped out to a 5-1 lead in set three, and held a steady lead throughout before going on a 6-2 run midway through the set to go up 19-11. IU Southeast ended the set on a 6-2 run and won the set 25-16.
Set 4: Rio Grande 25, IU Southeast 23
IU Southeast jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, but their lead was short-lived because the Red Storm scored eight of the next ten points. Later, with the Grenadiers trailing 16-15, the Red Storm scored eight of the next 11 to force match point. Trailing 24-18, the Grenadiers used a pair of kills from Stratford, a kill from Mason, and a pair of errors by Rio Grande to make it 24-23. Despite the late push, the Red Storm would win after a kill by Sallie Montgomery.
