On Friday, Oct. 14 and Saturday, Oct 15, the Point Park Pioneers women’s volleyball team strived to continue their win streak against River States Conference (RSC) opponents as they took on the University of Rio Grande Redstorm and the Ohio Chrisitan University (OCU) Trailblazers at home at the Student Center Gym.

The Pioneers enter their next two RSC matchups winning 8 straight games. Senior Stephanie Rivera-Pacheco credits their success to the team’s motivation and effort.

“I think the most important is to have the energy and to play as a team,” Rivera-Pacheco said. “That way we can do our jobs with each other, so we have the win.”

The team’s energy that was brought forth in conference play led to them being at the top of the RSC standings. In their previous matchup, Point Park came from behind, winning two straight sets against IU Kokomo, which led to their 8th straight victory. The Pioneers looked to continue their path of dominance against the Redstorm on Friday.

In the first set, the Pioneers were down 21-19, but rallied back, tallying six straight points to take the first set. The Pioneers maintained a 36.4 hitting percentage, notching 15 kills in the first set.

In the second set, the Redstorm remained competitive, but the Point Park’s attack would be too much for Rio Grande to handle, as the Pioneers won the second set, 25-17. The Pioneers forced 7 Redstorm errors and held the opposition to a hitting percentage of 9.5 percent.

In the third set, the Pioneers took the lead 2-1 and didn’t look back. The Pioneers swept Rio Grande, winning the final set 25-21. The Pioneers won 3-0.

Point Park’s key to success was their high hitting percentage and their ability to force the Redstorm to make errors. The Redstorm committed 21 errors compared to the Pioneers’ 9 errors. Point Park was efficient, posting a 37.2 hitting percentage. The Pioneers finished with 44 kills on their route to victory.

The Pioneers’ victory was their 9th straight conference win and the team wanted to ride the momentum as they took on the OCU Trailblazers in their next game at home.

In the first set, the Pioneers did not fall behind once, eventually winning the set 25-19. The Pioneers were dominant as they had 40 total attacks, notching 19 kills in the first set. The Trailblazers had 8 kills in the first set.

The Trailblazers stayed competitive in the first set due to the Pioneers committing 6 errors. Nevertheless, in the second set, the Pioneers didn’t attain 1 error.

Point Park forced 7 errors in the second set and held the Trailblazers to a 9 percent hitting percentage. The Pioneers finished with a 57.7 percent hitting percentage, routing Ohio Christian 25-9 in a dominant second set.

In the final set, the Pioneers mustered 15 kills, attaining over 15 kills for all 3 sets. The Pioneers won the set 25-21, sweeping Ohio Christian and winning 3-0.

Rivera-Pacecho held a 67.9 percent hitting percentage and scored 19 kills on 28 total attacks. She also tallied 11 digs. Junior Kassandra Tejeda and junior Mellissa Schroeder also helped lead the Pioneers past Ohio Christian. Tejeda posted a hitting percentage of 31.2 percent and Schroeder posted a hitting percentage of 46.2 percent. They both had 7 kills.

Point Park’s win is their 10th straight conference win. The Pioneers are now 16-4, along with a 10-0 RSC record. The Pioneers have won 8 straight sets in their past three games combined.

Rivera-Pacheco was happy that the team extended their win streak at home and attributes the success to the support the team is receiving from the fans.

“It is more fun at home,” Rivera-Pacheco said. “We feel the energy of them, so we feel excited to play at home because they are going and they are cheering.”

Rivera-Pacheco added that she is very proud of her team and said that what they worked on in the offseason is coming to fruition in the regular season.

The Pioneers are now 20 games in and on the top of the RSC. The team had a goal to be on top of the RSC and they are achieving their goals thus far. Rivera-Pacheco and the Pioneers plan on staying at the top of the RSC.

“We’re going to work in our practice the same,” Rivera-Pacheco said. “We have to have the same energy and the same everything, like playing with each other. We all need to do our things so that everyone can be successful.”