ST. MARY-OF-THE-WOODS, Ind. -- The crosstown rivalry between Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and St. Mary-of-the-Woods volleyball programs had its closest match in its three-year history, before the Fightin' Engineers claimed a 25-22, 21-25, 25-22, 26-24 victory.
Rose-Hulman earned its third straight win in the series over the Pomeroys but not without a battle. Adekite Oladipupo led the Fightin' Engineers with 16 kills and added 14 digs. Bailey MacInnis contributed 14 kills, and freshman Grace Beach reached double figures with 12. Marissa Gollnick and Mackenzie Gossard had three block assists each.
The duo of Katie Orbeta (24) and Alison Rogozinski (20) combined for 44 assists on the evening, and Gabi Razma paced Rose-Hulman with 19 digs. Razma also set a new career school record for digs in the contest, increasing her career total to 2,154.
The St Mary-of-the-Woods effort was led by Mckenzi Kumpf with 17 kills and 17 digs. Monica Mack added 12 kills, and Gabriella Slagle contributed 10. Pamela Dorman had a team-high 26 digs, and Katelyn Cotter paced the Pomeroys with 39 assists.
Rose-Hulman improved to 7-2 with the victory, while St. Mary-of-the-Woods dropped to 3-3. The Fightin' Engineers will compete in the DePauw Invitational on Friday, facing Wheaton (Ill.) and DePauw.
