Improbable rally lifts Trailblazers past RedStorm

Rio Grande Sports Information
     CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio - For the opening two sets of Friday night's River States Conference women's volleyball matchup, the University of Rio Grande steamrolled host Ohio Christian University.
     Then, just as quickly, the wheels fell off the RedStorm's wagon.
     The Trailblazers mounted an improbable rally to post an 8-25, 11-25, 25-16, 25-22, 15-5 Senior Night win over their East Division rivals at the Maxwell Center.
     Ohio Christian improved to 9-21 overall and 7-10 in conference play with the win, possibly rescuing its postseason hopes in the process.
     Rio Grande dropped to 16-12 overall and 9-7 in the RSC as a result of the loss.
     The RedStorm tallied a .545 hitting percentage in the first set and .472 mark in set two, committing just one attack error in each stanza.
     OCU kept the match alive by leading from start to finish in set three, but it was a 7-0 run by the Trailblazers which fueled a 19-9 lead and the eventual set victory.
     Rio appeared to rebound in the fourth stanza, maintaining a lead for much of the set, including a 19-18 cushion following a kill by junior Shalea Byrd.
     The Trailblazers reeled off each of the next three winners, though, and led the rest of the way, with the final two points of the period coming on kills by Madison Blickenstaff.
     The fifth - and deciding - set was all in favor of the home team.
     OCU scored five of the first six points in the period, before an attack error by Victoria Zelenka temporarily stopped the bleeding for the RedStorm.
     But the Trailblazers responded by scoring seven of the next eight winners, essentially sealing the comeback victory.
     Zelenka and Blickenstaff led OCU with 16 and 13 kills, respectively, while Alexa Cooper added 11 kills of her own.
     Rylee Barr had a match-best 52 assists in the winning effort, while Kaylee Garren had 16 digs and Josie Buck had four service aces.
     Emily Holbrook also had three block assists for the Trailblazers.
     Junior Amanda Rarick (Canal Winchester, OH) had a match-high 23 kills in a losing cause for Rio Grande, while senior Jess Youse (Pettisville, OH) had 13 kills and Byrd finished with 10 kills, two solo blocks and four block assists.
     Sophomore Avery Huntzinger (Canal Winchester, OH) had 47 assists and 13 digs for the RedStorm, with junior Darcie Walters (Sparta, OH) totaling 28 digs and freshman Kayla Sedgwick (Richwood, OH) finishing with 13 digs of her own.
     Rio Grande will wrap up its regular season schedule on Saturday morning by hosting Indiana University-Southeast.
     First serve is set for 11 a.m. at the Newt Oliver Arena.