ADA, Ohio – The Marietta College volleyball team was in action Saturday (Sep. 29) as they were defeated by 16th ranked Ohio Northern University, 3-0 (25-13, 25-11, 25-12) in their Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) opener.  

The first set saw the Polar Bears grab a 9-3 lead before the Pioneers responded with a 5-1 run, which cut the lead to 10-8.  The Marietta run was sparked by Braya Elsea (Circleville, Ohio/Logan Elm) as she had a pair of services aces.  Ohio Northern was able to respond, and won the first set, 25-13.  

The second set started as a hard fought battle, as the Pioneers trailed 8-7 in the second set.  Marietta was led by a pair of kills from Sam Ritenour (Jeffersonville, Ohio/Miami Trace), and Brooke Trimble (Lexington, Ky./Henry Clay).  The Polar Bears were able to pull away and win the second set, 25-11.  

Ohio Northern was able to grab an early third set edge, and held on to win the third set 25-12.  

The Pioneers were led by Ritenour as she had four kills, and two block assists in the match.  Hunter Barnes (Duncan Falls, Ohio/Philo) added four kills to the Marietta offense.  

Defensively, the Pioneers were led by April Davis (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora) as she had nine digs in the match.  Abbi Thompson (Commercial Point, Ohio/Teays Valley) also notched nine digs in the match for the Pioneers.  

Marietta will return to the court Tuesday (Oct. 2) when they host OAC opponent Otterbein University, with the game set to begin at 7 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.