MARIETTA, Ohio – The Marietta College volleyball team hosted the opening night of the River City Classic in Ban Johnson Arena. The Pioneers opened the season with a split in their double header action.
Marietta dropped their first match against West Virginia Tech, 3-1 (25-23, 25-18, 25-22, 25-20), but the Pioneers bounced back in the second match against Emory and Henry with a three-set sweep, (25-8, 25-14, 25-11).
First year Head Coach
Kristy Newman earned her first career win in the second game of the night against Emory and Henry.
Coach Newman said, "We bounced back nicely in the second match and tapped into what we are capable of."
The second game of the night remained close early in the first set with Marietta leading 10-8. The Pioneers imposed their will when
Ellie Gerber (New Philadelphia, Ohio/New Philadelphia) started serving. The Pioneers scored 15 straight points to win the first set 25-8, as Gerber had four service aces during the run.
Marietta's momentum carried over to the second set as they quickly grabbed a 12-5 lead. The run was sparked by kills from
Hunter Barnes (Duncan Falls, Ohio/Philo),
Maris Kaiser (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy), and
Amanda Arrowood (Reynoldsburg, Ohio/Groveport Madison). The Pioneers continued to stretch their lead throughout the set and claimed the second set, 25-14.
Marietta slammed the door early in the third and final set as they jumped out to a 15-3 lead. The Pioneers closed out the game strong and won the final frame, 25-11.
The first match against the Golden Bears started off as a back and forth battle. The set remained close until the end when the Pioneers took the lead behind a pair of kills from
Grace Haas (Marietta, Ohio/Marietta). Marietta put the Golden Bears away in the first set with a kill by
Sam Ritenour (Jeffersonville, Ohio/Miami Trace).
West Virginia Tech came out swinging in the second set and grabbed an early 6-1 advantage. The Pioneers battled for the remainder of the set, but dropped the second frame, 25-18.
Marietta opened the third set with two of the first three points on a kill from Ritenour, and a service ace from
Abbi Thompson (Commercial Point, Ohio/Teays Valley). The Golden Bears responded to grab the lead and won the third set, 25-22.
The fourth set was a back and forth battle as the match was tied 12 different times, and the match remained tied at 18 points apiece. West Virginia Tech was able to grab a lead late in the final set, and won the fourth set 25-20, to win the match.
Marietta was led by Barnes on the offensive end as she had 23 kills combined in the two games. Kaiser added a solid offensive performance as she had 16 kills between the two matches.
The Pioneers enjoyed strong play from a pair of setters. Gerber and
Maddie Nader (Vermilion, Ohio/Vermilion) had 36 and 34 assists respectively. The duo also combined for 10 service aces in the two games.
Defensively, Marietta was led by
April Davis (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora) as she had 32 digs combined in the two games. Davis recorded a game high 17 digs in the match against Emory and Henry.
Brooke Trimble (Lexington, Ky./Henry Clay) added to the defensive effort as she had three solo blocks and six block assists on the day.
"I am excited to see if we can continue trending in the right direction tomorrow", concluded Coach Newman.
Marietta will return to the court Saturday (Sept. 1) when they wrap up their play in the River City Classic with a pair of matches against, Franciscan University and Kenyon College.
Fans can follow all of 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.
