TIFFIN, Ohio – The Marietta College volleyball team was in action Friday (Sept. 27) when they fell to Heidelberg University 3-0 (25-11, 25-13, 25-20), to open Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) play. With the win the Student Princes improve to 13-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play and the Pioneers fall to 10-7 overall and 0-1 in OAC action.
Marietta opened the first set when they jumped out to a 5-4 lead behind a kill from
Sam Ritenour (Jeffersonville, Ohio/Miami Trace). Heidelberg responded to score the next five points, and took a 9-5 advantage. The Student Princes continued to play well, and won the first set, 25-11.
Heidelberg carried its momentum over to the second set and grabbed an 11-4 edge, when a kill from
Maris Kaiser (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy) ended the run. The Pioneers battled through the middle of the set as Ritenour and
Alissa Ginther (Beverly, Ohio/Fort Frye) notched kills. The Student Princes held on to win the set, 25-13.
Marietta battled to open the third set, but the Pioneers trailed 11-7 with kills from Ginther,
Maddie Nader (Vermilion, Ohio/Vermilion) and
Becca Phelps (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison Comprehensive). Heidelberg rattled off the next four points to extend a 15-7 edge. Marietta fought for the remainder of the final set, but fell 25-20.
The Pioneers were led by Ritenour, as she had a team high seven kills and a block assist. Ginther added to the offense with six kills. Nader led Marietta in assists with 22 and digs with 10, and added a service ace in the game.
April Davis (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora) pitched in on defense with six digs.
Marietta will return to action Saturday (Sept. 28) when they play both Mount St. Joseph and Bluffton, with the first game scheduled for 10 a.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.
