Four Lady Pioneers named Academic All-OAC in volleyball
Senior Jessica Craig earns honor for third straight season

Nov. 15, 2007
AUSTINTOWN, Ohio — The Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) announced the 2007 Academic All-OAC volleyball winners Thursday (Nov. 15) morning and four Pioneers received recognition. Senior Jessica Craig (Uniontown/Lake) earned Academic All-OAC honors, while seniors Marissa Barnhart (Avon) and Paige Williams (Richmond, Ind.) and sophomore Becca Holzworth (North Olmsted) were given honorable mention.

It is the second straight year that Craig, a four-year letterwinner, received Academic All-OAC after earning honorable mention as a sophomore. Craig, a defensive specialist, played in 98 games and finished with 248 digs and 18 service aces this season.

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Marietta's Davis earns All-OAC honorable mention in volleyball
Senior set school record for digs in a season in 2007

Nov. 6, 2007
AUSTINTOWN, Ohio — The Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) released its 2007 volleyball award winners Tuesday (Nov. 6) afternoon, and Marietta College senior libero Casey Davis (Amanda/Amanda Clearcreek) earned All-OAC honorable mention.

Davis, who played in 101 of 104 games, finished the season with a new school-record 650 digs. She ranked second in the OAC in digs per game (6.27). Davis, who was named to the All-Tournament team at Marietta's River City Tournament, finished her career with 1,569 digs, which ranked second all-time at Marietta.

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Marietta volleyball swept from OAC Tournament by No. 11 Ohio Northern
Pioneers fall 30-14, 30-12, 30-21 to finish season 12-15

Oct. 30, 2007
ADA, Ohio — The eighth-seeded Marietta College volleyball team drew the short straw and had to face top-seeded and 11th-ranked Ohio Northern University in the first round of the 2007 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament. The Polar Bears swept the Pioneers 3-0 (30-14, 30-12, 30-21), ending Marietta's season, while ONU advances to the semifinals.

The Pioneers (12-15) struggled offesively against the Polar Bears (25-6). Outside hitter Kelly Schoener (Dublin/Dublin Scioto) and junior middle blocker Sarah Vadaj (Streetsboro/Kent Roosevelt) led the way with six kills. Seniors middle blocker Marissa Barnhart (Avon) and right side hitter Paige Williams (Richmond, Ind.) added four kills. Junior setters Caity Shirk (Middleburg Heights/Midpark) and Emily Wheatley (Wyoming) finished with 17 and six assists, respectively, in the loss.

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Marietta volleyball ends regular season with 3-0 loss to visiting John Carroll
Eighth-seeded Pioneers to take on top-seeded Ohio Northern Tuesday in OAC quarterfinals

Oct. 26, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — The John Carroll University Blue Streaks disrupted Senior Day for the Marietta College volleyball team with a 3-0 (30-25, 31-29, 30-22) victory Friday (Oct. 26) night on Fenton Court.

The match was a battle for seventh place in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) standings. John Carroll (12-16, 3-6 OAC) earned that seed with the win and will face the winner of Saturday's Heidelberg and Mount Union match in the OAC quarterfinals. The Pioneers (12-14, 2-7 OAC), meanwhile, are the eighth seed and draw the top-seeded No. 10 Ohio Northern Polar Bears in Ada, Ohio. The OAC quarterfinals will take place Tuesday (Oct. 30) night at 7 p.m.

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Capital tops Marietta 3-1 in Dig for the Cure match
Teams raise over $4,000 for Susan G. Komen Foundation

Oct. 23, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College hosted Capital University for an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) volleyball match Tuesday (Oct. 23) night at Ban Johnson Arena. The Crusaders took the match 3-1, winning 30-20, 30-21, 28-30, 30-24.

The victory improves Capital's record to 19-9 overall and 4-4 in the OAC. Marietta falls to 12-13 overall and 2-6 in league play.

While the two teams were battling on the floor Tuesday, they teamed up raise awareness and funds to help fight the cause of breast cancer through their participation in Dig for the Cure. In all, the two squads raised over $4,000 for the Columbus Chapter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

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Marietta volleyball falls at No. 12 Ohio Northern
Lady Pioneers to Dig for the Cure Tuesday

Oct. 19, 2007
ADA, Ohio — The Marietta College volleyball team closed the road portion of its regular season Friday (Oct. 19) night with a 3-0 loss to No. 12 Ohio Northern. The Polar Bears won 30-23, 30-17 and 30-14 to improve to 21-4 overall and 7-0 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. The Pioneers fell to 12-12, 2-5 in the OAC.

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Pioneer volleyball swept by Mount Union 3-0
Tuesday is the first time Marietta has been swept all season

Oct. 16, 2007
ALLIANCE, Ohio – The Marietta College volleyball team suffered a 3-0 loss at the hand of host Mount Union College Tuesday (Oct. 16) evening. The Purple Raiders, who received votes in the most recent CSTV/AVCA Division III poll, became the first team all season to sweep the Pioneers. Mount Union won 30-21, 30-20 and 30-14.

With the loss, Marietta falls to 12-11 overall and 2-4 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Mount Union improved to 25-4 overall and 5-1 in league play.

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Pioneer volleyball promotes literacy at Phillips Elementary
Marietta players spend time on Fall Break reading to elementary school classes

Oct. 15, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — Marietta College senior volleyball standout Marissa Barnhart (Avon) put aside her advertising and design book in order to read Cynthia Rylant's Henry and Mudge and the Best Day of All to a first grade class at Phillips Elementary on Monday (Oct. 15) morning.

Barnhart and her 15 Pioneer teammates volunteered their time during the College's Fall Break in an effort to encourage literacy at the local elementary school.

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Pioneer volleyball falls 3-1 to visiting Yellow Jackets
Freshman Kelly Schoener has a career high 17 kills

Oct. 13, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College volleyball fell 3-1 to visiting Baldwin-Wallace College Saturday (Oct. 13) afternoon at Ban Johnson Arena. The Lady Pioneers jumped out to a 1-0 lead by winning game one 30-22, but the Yellow Jackets fought back with three straight wins (30-19, 30-20, 31-29) to secure the victory.

With the loss, Marietta falls to 12-10 overall and 2-3 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. Baldwin-Wallace improved to 14-11 overall and 3-3 in league play.

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Marietta volleyball to Dig for the Cure Oct. 23 against Capital
Pioneers players are currently taking donations

Oct. 9, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College volleyball team will partner with the Columbus Chapter of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in an effort to raise awareness and funds to help fight the cause of breast cancer. The Pioneers are scheduled to "Dig for the Cure" Oct. 23 against the Capital Crusaders. [Brochure (.pdf)]

Parents, fans, businesses and coworkers may pledge amounts for every dig Marietta and Capital combine to record, or they can make a flat donation to the cause. The Pioneers have set a team goal to raise over $2,500 for the Susan G. Komen Foundation in 2007.

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Marietta volleyball falls to rival Muskingum 3-1
Pioneers fall to 2-2 in the OAC

Oct. 9, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College volleyball team drops an Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) match to rival and host Muskingum College Tuesday (Oct. 9) evening. The Muskies won 3-1 (30-22, 30-12, 26-30, 30-17).

With the loss, the Pioneers fall to 12-9 overall and 2-2 in the OAC. Muskingum improves to 16-7 overall and 2-3 in league play.

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Pioneer volleyball outlasts visiting Cardinals 3-2
Marietta take deciding game 17-15

Oct. 6, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College volleyball team showed its character Saturday (Oct. 6) afternoon as it held off visiting Otterbein College 3-2 (29-31, 30-23, 30-16, 31-33, 17-15) in an Ohio Athletic Conference showdown at Ban Johnson Arena.

The victory improved the Pioneers' record to 12-8 overall and 2-1 in the OAC. The Cardinals fell to 3-20 overall and 0-3 in league play.

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Marietta volleyball nets first OAC victory with sweep at Wilmington
Pioneers defeat Quakers 3-0

Oct. 2, 2007
WILMINGTON, Ohio — The Marietta College volleyball team improved to 1-1 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) with a straight-game victory over host Wilmington College Tuesday (Oct. 2) night. The Pioneers won 30-20, 30-26, 30-24 to improve to 11-8 on the season. Wilmington fell to 4-15 overall and 0-3 in the OAC.

Senior Marissa Barnhart (Avon) led the team with 13 kills and three block assists, while sophomore Becca Holzworth (North Olmsted) added 12 kills to go along with three service aces and seven digs.

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Marietta volleyball drops two at home tri-match
Pioneers fall 3-1 to NAIA foes Urbana and Shawnee State

Sept. 29, 2007
MARIETTA Ohio — A pair of NAIA teams visited Ban Johnson Arena Saturday (Sept. 29) afternoon for the Marietta College volleyball tri-match. The day opened with Urbana defeating host Marietta 3-1 (23-30, 30-27, 30-28, 30-27). The Blue Knights then swept Shawnee State 3-0 (30-19, 30-28, 30-21), before the Bears bounced back to beat the Pioneers 3-1 (26-30, 30-25, 30-28, 30-21).

Marietta, who has now lost three straight, dropped to 10-8 on the season.

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Marietta volleyball splits final pair at Spartan Best Western Westgate Invitational
Pioneers defeat Virginia Wesleyan and fall to York

Sept. 22, 2007
YORK, Pa. — The Marietta College volleyball team closed out the 2007 Spartan Best Western Westgate Invitational, which was hosted by York (Pa.) College, with a win and a loss Saturday (Sept. 22) afternoon. The Pioneers opened with a 3-2 victory over Virginia Wesleyan (30-17, 30-19, 26-30, 21-30, 15-12) before falling to host York, 3-1 (30-28, 24-30-24, 30-13, 30-26).

Marietta (10-6) was paced offensively in the opener by Ashley Bennett, Marissa Barnhart and Paige Williams. the trio had 13, 12, and 12 kills, respectively. Setter Caity Shirk distributed well as she tallied 43 assists over the five games. In a stellar defensive effort, Casey Davis recorded 31 digs to keep the Marlins off the board.

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Marietta volleyball opens 1-1 at Spartan Best Western Westgate Invitational
Pioneers have two more matches on Saturday

Sept. 21, 2007
YORK, Pa. — The Marietta College volleyball team went 1-1 Friday (Sept. 21) at the 2007 Spartan Best Western Westgate Invitational, hosted by York (Pa.) College. The Pioneers opened with a 3-2 loss to Lebanon Valley (22-30, 27-30, 30-20, 30-24, 15-11) but bounced back to top Alvernia (Pa.) 3-0 (30-14, 30-19, 30-27) to improve to 9-5 on the season.

Against Lebanon Valley (9-5), Marietta was paced by senior right side hitter Paige Williams (Richmond, Ind.), who had a career high 18 kills. Junior middle blocker Sarah Vadaj (Streetsboro/Kent Roosevelt) chipped in with nine kills, while senior middle blocker Marissa Barnhart (Avon) had two solo blocks and four block assists.

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Pioneer volleyball splits pair at Heidelberg
Marietta falls to Heidelberg and defeats Bluffton

Sept. 15, 2007
TIFFIN, Ohio — The Marietta College volleyball team opened its Ohio Athletic Conference schedule Saturday (Sept. 15) as part of a tri-match at Heidelberg College. The Pioneers began the day with a 3-1 (30-21, 25-30, 30-17, 30-23) loss to the host Student Princes but bounced back to defeat fellow-guest Bluffton 3-2 (7-30, 30-21, 30-21, 26-30, 15-13) to improve to 8-4 overall and 0-1 in the OAC.

Senior Paige Williams (Richmond, Ind.) led Marietta with 17 kills against Heidelberg and added 11 against Bluffton. Senior Marissa Barnhart (Avon) and junior Caity Shirk (Middleburg Heights/Midpark) both added seven kills against the Student Princes, while junior Sarah Vadaj (Streetsboro/Kent Roosevelt) had 10 kills versus the Beavers.

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Marietta volleyball tops host Waynesburg in four games
Pioneers improve to 7-3 on the season

Sept. 11, 2007
WAYNESBURG, Pa. — The Marietta College volleyball improved it season record to 7-3 following a 3-1 victory over host Waynesburg (Pa.) University Tuesday (Sept. 11) evening. The match was the final tune up for what is expected to be a challenging Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) schedule.

The Pioneers captured game one 30-22. The Yellow Jackets (3-7) then evened the match with a 30-28 win in the second game. Marietta, however, was able to wrap up the win by taking the next two games, 30-23 and 30-26, respectively.

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Marietta volleyball finishes 2-2 at Defiance Invitational
Barnhart named to All-Tournament Team; Vadaj sets blocking records

Sept. 8, 2007
DEFIANCE, Ohio — The Marietta College volleyball squad's weekend at the Defiance College Invitational ended with a 3-2 (21-30, 30-22, 30-16, 26-30, 15-6) victory over the host Yellow Jackets on Saturday (Sept. 8) afternoon. The win helped the Pioneers finish 2-2 at the nine-team tournament and improve to 6-3 on the season.

Earlier in the day, Marietta fell to Shawnee State University 3-1 (27-30, 30-25, 23-30, 19-30). On Friday (Sept. 7) evening, the Pioneers opened pool play with a 3-1 (18-30, 30-17, 30-28, 30-28) victory over Concordia (Mich.) University. Marietta then fell to eventual champion Huntington (Ind.) University 3-1 (26-30, 30-24, 19-30, 22-30).

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Pioneers sweep visiting Hornets 3-0 in volleyball
Marietta improves to 4-1 with win over Kalamazoo

Sept. 5, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College volleyball team continued its non conference schedule Wednesday (Sept. 5) with a match-up against visiting Kalamazoo (Mich.). The Pioneers were pushed each game but swept the match 3-0 (30-28, 30-28, 30-23) to improve to 4-1 on the season. Kalamazoo fell to 1-4.

Junior Caity Shirk (Middleburg Heights/Midpark) once again teamed up with classmate Emily Wheatley (Wyoming) to run the offense. Shirk collected 25 assists, while Wheatley had 14.

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Marietta volleyball splits final pair at 2007 River City Tournament
Pioneers fall to Thiel and defeat Chatham

Sept. 1, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College volleyball team went 1-1 on the final day of the River City Volleyball Tournament Saturday (Sept. 1) on Fenton Court. The Pioneers fell 3-1 (22-30, 30-28, 27-30, 24-30) to Thiel (Pa.) College in their first match but bounced back to defeat Chatham (Pa.) College 3-0 (30-12, 30-18, 30-16) in the final match of the day.

Seniors Marissa Barnhart (Avon) and Casey Davis (Amanda/Amanda Clearcreek) were named to the 2007 River City All-Tournament Team after helping Marietta College to a 3-1 record. Penn State-Behrend took home the title, while Thiel placed second. A tie-breaker was used to determined the top-three places after the Pioneers, Lions and Tomcats all finished the weekend 3-1.

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Lady Pioneers open 2007 with two five-game wins at River City Tournament
Seniors Barnhart and Davis each break a single-match record

Aug. 31, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — Friday (Aug. 31) will be a night that Marietta College's Ray Costa will never forget. Thanks to a gutty performance from the Lady Pioneers, he started his collegiate head coaching career with a pair of five-game victories at the 2007 River City Volleyball Tournament on Fenton Court.

Marietta (2-0) opened the five-team tournament with a 3-2 (30-27, 30-26, 26-30, 20-30,15-13) win over Ohio Valley (W.Va.). Following a three-hour break, the Pioneers pulled out another 3-2 (36-34, 30-27, 30-26, 22-30, 15-13) victory, this time against Penn State-Behrend (Pa.).

"The ladies played their hearts out tonight," Costa said. "We found some things that we need to work on, but overall the effort was there and that is most important at this stage of the season."

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Marietta College earns Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award
Pioneers receive national honor for second straight year

Aug. 7, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — The Marietta College volleyball team has been honored for its exceptional performance in the classroom as a recipient of the 2006-07 Game Plan/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award.

It marks the second straight year that the Pioneers have received this honor. Marietta was one of just 53 NCAA Division III schools to earn the award for the 2006-07 school year.

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2007 Marietta College volleyball preview
Pioneers will rely on senior leadership this fall

July 27, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — Five seniors have undertaken the task of leading the Marietta College volleyball team forward in 2007, a year after the program went 20-8 and posted the highest regular season winning percentage in school history.

A lot has changed since 2006, however, as former Washington & Lee (Va.) assistant Ray Costa has taken over the reigns of the program, which will have to overcome the loss of its top three offensive weapons to graduation.

Fortunately, a talented core of student-athletes has moved into the leadership role and has the entire squad primed to keep the momentum going.

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Former Washington & Lee assistant Ray Costa named Marietta College's new volleyball coach
Costa eager to lead Pioneers on and off the court in 2007

March 19, 2007
MARIETTA, Ohio — Former Washington & Lee assistant coach Ray Costa was hired Monday (March 19) as Marietta College's new head volleyball coach, according to Athletics Director Debbie Lazorik.

Costa is the tenth volleyball coach in the program's history. He replaces Tom Symons, who resigned in January after three seasons to pursue interests outside of athletics.

"I'm very excited about the opportunity to join the Marietta College community," said Costa, who will officially arrive on campus in April. "I believe wholeheartedly in the experience that the College strives to offer everyone who is a part of it, and I look forward to helping the College and department achieve this vision."

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