MARIETTA, Ohio — It was Senior Day at Ban Johnson Arena as the Marietta College volleyball team honored its three seniors Saturday (Oct. 31) afternoon before hosting Ohio Northern University.
Mary Ervin (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy Orange),
Shauntiel Oliver-Smith (Elyria, Ohio/Elyria) and
Devin Walter (Indianapolis, Ind./Southport) were recognized before the match.
The Polar Bears wrapped up the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Ohio Athletic Conference volleyball tournament with a 3-0 sweep of the Pioneers. ONU posted set scores of 25-11, 25-21 and 25-14 improving to 22-5 overall and 8-1 in the OAC.
Marietta finished the regular season 9-19 overall and 2-7 in conference play. The Pioneers qualify for the OAC Tournament for the fifth straight year.
Ohio Northern used an 11-1 run midway through the first set to jump on top of the Pioneers. Marietta bounced back in the second set and stayed with the Polar Bears until late in the frame. A kill by Walter tied the set at 16, but ONU scored six of the next seven points and went on to win 25-21.
Other than an early 3-2 lead for the Pioneers in the third set, it was all Ohio Northern. The Polar Bears scored six of the final seven points to secure the victory.
Walter and Oliver-Smith led the Pioneers with nine kills each in the final match in Ban Johnson Arena.
Mallory Vodopich (Canton, Ohio/Massillon Perry) added five kills and
Erica Denallo (Independence, Ohio/Independence) had four.
Julia Moskaluk (Copley, Ohio/Revere) posted a team-high 19 assists.
Denallo recorded a match-high 16 digs, while Ervin chipped in with 13 digs.
Marietta will be the No. 8 seed in next week's OAC Volleyball Tournament. The Pioneers play at top-seeded Heidelberg University on Tuesday (Nov. 3) at 7:00 p.m.
Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all year long at
pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at
facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on Twitter and Instagram.
