MARIETTA, Ohio – The Marietta College women's volleyball team was defeated by 15th ranked Muskingum University, 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-11) on Tuesday (Oct. 29) evening inside Ban Johnson Arena. The win improves the Fighting Muskies record to 24-2 overall and 7-1 in Ohio Athletic Conference action, and the loss drops the Pioneers record to 14-14 overall and 3-5 in conference play.
The first set opened as a back and forth battle, as the match was tied five times and remained deadlocked at five points apiece. Muskingum was able to stretch out an 8-5 lead, but Marietta responded to take a 9-8 lead with kills from
Maris Kaiser (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy) and
Becca Phelps (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison Comprehensive). The Fighting Muskies answered with six consecutive points to notch a 14-8 edge. The Pioneers kept the set close behind a block and kill from
Sam Ritenour (Jeffersonville, Ohio/Miami Trace), but dropped the first set, 25-17.
The second set was close early, when the match was all square at 9-9. The early Marietta offense was a well-rounded attack with kills from
Alissa Ginther (Beverly, Ohio/Fort Frye), Ritenour,
Hailey Fuller (Newark, Ohio/Granville), and
Aly Wiseman (London, Ohio/Bishop Ready). Muskingum responded to score nine of the next 11 points to grab a 17-11 edge. The Pioneers battled for the remainder of the second frame, but fell, 25-15.
The Fighting Muskies carried their momentum over to the third and final frame as they grabbed a quick 7-0 edge. Muskingum continued its strong play through the middle of the set, and led 23-6. Marietta battled until the final point as they scored five of the final seven points in the match, with kills from Ginther and Kaiser. The Fighting Muskies won the third set, 25-11.
The Pioneers were led by Ritenour as she had six kills and a solo block. Fuller and Ginther each pitched in with five kills, and a block assist. The defense was led by
April Davis (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora) as she had a game high 18 digs.
Marietta will return to the court Saturday (Nov. 2) when they host Baldwin Wallace University, with the match scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
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.
