Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College women’s volleyball continued its unbeaten start to the 2026 season Saturday as the Pomeroys defeated Madonna (Mich.) in four sets before sweeping host Huntington (Ind.) to close out the Huntington Invitational with a 4-0 record.
The Pomeroys opened the day with a 25-22, 21-25, 25-19, 25-14 victory over Madonna before returning to the court to earn a straight-set win over a Huntington team (25-13, 25-11, 26-24) that received votes in the preseason NAIA top-25 poll.
SMWC took control of the opener against Madonna after the teams split the first two sets. The Pomeroys hit .367 in the third set with 15 kills against four errors before dominating the fourth, holding the Crusaders to a .000 hitting percentage to put the match away.
Senior Masa Pesic led the attack for SMWC as she finished with 13 kills and only one error on 25 attempts for a .480 hitting percentage.
The Pomeroys finished with 56 kills and hit .237 as a team while limiting Madonna to 38 kills and a .076 hitting percentage. SMWC’s defense collected 72 digs, led by Gaby Fernandez with a match-high 25. Fernandez also contributed four assists.
Ariana Cruz-Gonzalez had a team-high 23 assists, while Ayiana Nieves recorded nine.
After dropping the second, the Pomeroys responded strongly as they outscored the Crusaders 50-33 over the final two sets.
The Pomeroys carried that momentum into the tournament finale against host Huntington, earning a 25-22, 25-21, 25-19, 25-14 victory to complete a perfect weekend. SMWC controlled the match after a tight opening set, steadily pulling away behind consistent offense and strong defensive pressure.
Karla Melendez Martinez again paced the attack with 13 kills, while Masa Pesic added another 13 kills on efficient swings. Ryan Canter chipped in five kills and Hope Schriber led Huntington with 10 kills in the effort.
The Pomeroys leave Huntington 4-0 after winning 12 of the 14 sets they played during the opening weekend of the 2026 campaign.
SMWC returns to tournament play next weekend at the Mount Mary Invitational in Milwaukee. The Pomeroys open the event Friday against Goshen (Ind.) at 3:45 p.m. EDT before facing Judson at 7:45 p.m. EDT.
Tournament play continues Saturday when SMWC faces host Mount Mary University at 11 a.m. EDT and Missouri Valley College at 3 p.m. EDT.
Prior to Saturday, the Pomeroys opened the season with a pair of sweeps Friday. They started out with a 3-0 shutout of Wilberforce before blanking IU South Bend 3-0.
SMWC held a 26-9 advantage in kills, a 9-1 edge in service aces and an 8-7 advantage in blocks. The Pomeroys limited Wilberforce to a minus-.292 hitting percentage.
In the second match, Raimey Owens led the Pomeroys with eight kills in the first one, while Melendez Martinez powered the SMWC offense with a high 12 kills in the match while adding eight digs and three assists.
SMWC hit .297 in the opening set and remained above .200 in all three frames, finishing the match at .242. IU South Bend was held to a .120 hitting percentage.
College women’s soccer
• Western Kentucky 1, ISU 0 — At Memorial Stadium, Western Kentucky’s Makenna Egan finished a right-footed shot to the bottom center of the net, assisted by Maggie Bellair, to give the visiting Hilltoppers a nonconference win Sunday.
ISU controlled long stretches of possession, generated multiple looks in the attacking third, and held firm defensively for most of the match, but the second-half WKU strike by Egan made the difference.
The Sycamores’ back line and midfield were steady throughout, limiting WKU’s chances and forcing the Toppers into low-percentage attempts. Goalkeeper Sofie Hansen delivered another composed performance, making key saves in both halves, including a bottom-center stop in the 34th minute and another in the 84th to keep the Sycamores within reach.
Indiana State created several promising opportunities of its own, highlighted by shots from Alex Lehnert, Quinn Urquhart, Tori Angelo, Peyton Wetzel, and Addyson Warner. The Sycamores pushed late, earning throw-ins and free kicks in the attacking half, but WKU’s defense held to close out the match.
ISU (now 1-1) faces Saint Mary-of-the-Woods at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Memorial Stadium.