COLUMBIA, Ky. – The Lindsey Wilson volleyball team defeated Rio Grande (Ohio) in four sets Tuesday night at Biggers Sports Center, winning 25-21, 29-31, 25-21, 25-19 to improve to 10-10 on the season.
Lindsey Wilson took control early in the opening set, trading points with Rio Grande through a series of ties before pulling away late to close it out 25-21. The Blue Raiders broke away from a 17-17 tie with four of the next five points and never looked back, closing the frame on a 5-2 run to take a 1-0 match lead.
Rio Grande answered in the second set, and the two teams battled deep into extra points. The Blue Raiders erased a three-point deficit late and eventually took a 28-27 lead, but the RedStorms answered with consecutive points to regain the advantage. After Lindsey Wilson tied the set at 29, Rio Grande scored the final two points to win 31-29 and even the match at one set apiece.
The Blue Raiders regrouped in the third, again trading points with Rio Grande through the midpoint of the frame before taking over in the closing stretch. Lindsey Wilson broke a 17-17 tie with three straight points and later used another three-point run to build a 21-18 advantage before closing out the set 25-21.
Lindsey Wilson carried that momentum into the fourth set, using a pair of Kennedy Moone service aces and three more from Rachel Kilchenmann during a 9-1 run to turn a 5-5 tie into a 14-6 advantage. Rio Grande chipped away but couldn't fully close the gap, and the Blue Raiders closed out the match with a 25-19 win in the fourth.
Gabi Zuquelo paced Lindsey Wilson with 14 kills on a .290 hitting percentage, adding two block assists. Luisina Sandrone Tais followed with 11 kills, while Tully Bew and Sofija Pjevic each added seven kills. Pjevic hit an efficient .357 while contributing four block assists. Rachel Kilchenmann ran the offense with 21 assists, four aces and nine digs, while Addison Janes added 19 assists, three kills on .600 hitting, two aces and 10 digs. Libero Momo Hampton led the Blue Raiders defensively with 15 digs.
Lindsey Wilson returns to action at 7 p.m. CT on Friday, Sept. 25 to host Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) at Biggers Sports Center.
