Diederich leads Rio past Mighty Oaks

Rio Grande Sports Information
     OAKLAND CITY, Ind. - McKenna Diederich set a career-high in both kills and blocks to lead the University of Rio Grande to a 25-21, 25-19, 25-22 triumph over Oakland City University, Saturday afternoon, in River States Conference women's volleyball action at the Johnson Center.
     The RedStorm improved to 14-4 overall and 3-0 in league play with the win.
     Oakland City dropped to 6-9 overall and 1-2 in the RSC as a result of the loss.
     Diederich, a sophomore from Pickerington, Ohio, took match honors with 13 kills and five blocks (one solo, four assists) in the winning effort.
     Also reaching double-figure kill totals for Rio was senior Amanda Rarick (Canal Winchester, OH) and freshman Katelynn Coey (Glouster, OH), who tallied 12 each.
     The RedStorm hit .248 for the match, with 50 kills and 20 errors in 121 swings.
     Junior Elle McLoughlin had 37 kills and three service aces in the victory, while sophomore Jenna Harrison (Gallipolis, OH) finished with 14 digs.
     Rio Grande trailed just once - at 6-5 - in the opening set and scored five of the final six winners in set two to grab a commanding lead.
     The RedStorm grabbed a 16-9 advantage in the third period, but the Mighty Oaks reeled off five straight winners to claw their way to within 16-14.
     A 3-0 Rio run stretched the lead back to five, although Oak City did draw as close as two points twice more at 22-20 and 24-22.
     Rio sophomore Kelli Stewart (Waverly, OH) closed things out, though, with a kill on the final point of the day.
     Elleanor Stark had eight kills to pace the Mighty Oaks, who had 33 kills and 15 errors over 104 attacks as a team (.173).
     Allison Bucur had 24 assists in a losing cause, while Dunja Madjarevic was credited with 14 digs and Abigail Vaughn had three block assists.
     Rio Grande returns to action on Saturday when it travels to rival Shawnee State University for another RSC contest.
     First serve is set for noon at the Frank & Janis Waller Gymnasium.