Women’s volleyball falls to 9-6 after back-to-back losses to River State Conference rivals
Photo by Aiden Ringiewicz
The women’s volleyball team huddles together during the home match against IU East on Sept. 25.
October 6, 2021
Women’s Volleyball played Indiana University Kokomo Cougars (IU Kokomo) on Friday, Oct. 1, and St. Mary of the Woods College Pomeroys (SMWC) on Saturday, Oct. 2. Both matchups were road games and were River States Conference (RSC) games.
The Pioneers enter their road stand, following a loss in a nailbiter to their RSC rival, the Indiana University East Red Wolves (IU East), 3-2. This loss makes them 9-4. Point Park comes into the game with a 4-1 conference record and has won seven of their last eight matchups.
Point Park’s first game of their six game road stand was against IU Kokomo, who are 12-8, along with a 4-1 conference record. Their record places them second in the RSC east division thus far. The Cougars won the RSC Championship last season.
In the first set, the Pioneers had a strong start against the defending champions. The team would have 10 kills and would force the Cougars to commit six errors during the set. However, the effort wasn’t sufficient. IU Kokomo’s 14 kills on 40 total attacks was enough to give them a 25-19 win in set one.
In the second set, the Pioneers struggled. Point Park would have only 7 kills in the second set, compared to the Cougars’ 13. The Pioneers also had seven errors during the second set, while the Cougars only had three. With Point Park having a 0 hitting percentage for set two, this led to IU Kokomo winning the set, 25-13.
In the third set, Point Park was competitive and started to revive their offense. The Pioneers kept the game close, but the Cougars would begin to pull away. The Pioneers would make a late comeback. Nevertheless, the effort fell short and IU Kokomo won the set 25-18.
IU Kokomo was led by senior middle hitter Erinn Adam. The fifth year senior tallied 15 kills on 22 total attacks. Adam would also finish with an impressive .682 hitting percentage.
In their second matchup, the Pioneers took on St. Mary of the Woods College. The Pomeroys come into the game with a 7-6 record, along with a 3-3 conference record.
In the first set, Point Park put up a solid fight. The Pioneers had 14 kills to the Pomeroys’ 9. Despite having three more total attacks and five more kills, errors led to the Pioneers losing the first set. Point Park committed 9 errors during the first set. They lost the first set 25-22.
After losing the first set, the Pomeroys had momentum. In the second set, SMWC had 15 kills and 5 errors. Point Park had 12 kills and 9 errors in the second set. The Pomeroys’ attack was enough to give them the second set win, 25-18.
In the third set, Point Park would earn more kills than the Pomeroys, but the errors would cost them. The Pioneers had nine errors in the last set, resulting in a 25-21 loss. Point Park would lose the game in straight sets, 3-0.
The Pomeroys were led by Hannah Zuege, who tallied 21 kills and 13 digs. Zuege’s 21 kills were 57% of SMWC’s kills. Zuege’s hitting percentage was an astounding .413, leading the Pomeroys to victory.
For the Pioneers, the team was led by Stephanie Rivera-Pacheco. The junior outside hitter tallied 10 kills, along with 11 digs. Junior middle hitter Melissa Schroeder also played well, having 9 kills, along with a .375 hitting percentage.
The Pioneers three straight losses make them 9-6 with a 4-3 conference record. Point Park remains in second place behind IU East in the RSC east division. The team continues their road stand against the Seton Hill Griffins on Tuesday, Oct. 5.