Red Wolves Come Back to Defeat Red Storm

RIO GRANDE, Ohio – After falling in the first set against Rio Grande, the IU East women's volleyball team rallied for three straight sets to defeat the Red Storm 3-1 on Friday night.

The win improves the Red Wolves to 10-6 overall and 3-1 in conference play.

Jessica Swimm led the team with 19 kills. Teah Barrett Matthews was also in double digits with 13 kills. Reece Shirley had a game-high 44 assists.

"I was really proud of how we responded to the first set," Swimm said. "We stayed true to ourselves and used the atmosphere of the game to find a competitive fire. It was a full team effort with everyone involved and together.  

The Red Wolves needed to play catchup in the third set. They trailed 7-2, 14-11, and 19-14. Shirley added a kill to stop the bleeding at 19-15 and the Red Wolves would later tie the set 20-20 thanks to an error from Rio Grande. They took a 22-20 lead after two consecutive kills from Swimm. IUE scored the last two points of the set on an error from the Red Storm.

"After finding our rhythm towards the end of the first, we were able to make some adjustments and control our side better," Shirley said. "Being in a loud environment fired our team up and motivated us to compete even harder. Tonight's match was an all-around full team effort."

Besides the opening point in the fourth set, the Red Wolves never trailed the rest of the way, setting the tone for the win. IUE scored the last four points of the set to give the Red Storm their first conference loss in the early stages of conference play.

The Red Wolves will continue their road trip on Saturday against WVU Tech.