OWENSBORO, Ky. – The IU Columbus volleyball team capped off a successful weekend on the road with back-to-back victories over Oakland City University and Brescia University (ky.), improving to 19-7 overall and 10-4 in conference play, good for a tie for third place in the RSC standings.
The Crimson Pride opened the weekend with a 3-0 sweep at Oakland City on Friday night before following it up with a 3-1 win at Brescia on Saturday afternoon.
Friday: IU Columbus 3, Oakland City 0 (25-15, 26-24, 25-23)
IU Columbus came out firing in the opening set, hitting an impressive .306 and cruising to a 25-15 win. Despite closer margins in sets two and three, the Crimson Pride maintained control throughout, sweeping the Mighty
Oaks behind a balanced offensive effort.
Cora Baker led the attack with 13 kills, while Ruthie Bingham added 9 kills and a .250 hitting percentage. Journee Brown was highly efficient, recording 8 kills on .400 hitting, and Ava Granson chipped in 5 kills and 3 total blocks.
Setters Bailey Stevens (21 assists, 11 digs) and Sadie Egan (17 assists, 5 digs) kept the offense flowing, while Mikaela Salinas anchored the back row with a team-high 20 digs. As a team, IU Columbus out-hit Oakland City .240 to .096 and finished with 66 digs and six team blocks.
Saturday: IU Columbus 3, Brescia 1 (25-17, 18-25, 28-26, 25-17)
The Crimson Pride carried their momentum into Saturday's contest, earning their 19th win of the season with a four-set victory over Brescia. After trading the first two sets, IU Columbus rallied from a tight third frame to claim a 28-26 win and never looked back in the fourth.
Ruthie Bingham once again led the way with 13 kills on .367 hitting, while Journee Brown was unstoppable at the net, tallying 12 kills and a blistering .588 hitting percentage. Ava Granson delivered a strong all-around performance with 10 kills, 2 service aces, and 12.5 points, while Abigail Watson contributed 6 kills and 7 digs.
Bailey Stevens continued to pace the offense with 25 assists and 10 digs, and Sadie Egan added 18 assists and 3 service aces. Defensively, Kami Vester recorded 12 digs, and Salinas added another steady outing in the back row.
IU Columbus outhit Brescia .221 to .162 and finished with seven service aces on the day.
With the two wins, IU Columbus now sits tied for third place in the River States Conference standings, entering the final weekend of the regular season on a six-game winning streak.
Next Up: The Crimson Pride return home next weekend for two key match-ups—Friday (Nov. 7) vs. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College at 7:00 PM, and Saturday (Nov. 8) vs. IU Kokomo at 1:00 PM. Saturday, IU Columbus will celebrate Senior Day. Both games will be played at CERA Sports Park.
