MARIETTA, Ohio – The Marietta College volleyball team defeated Wilmington College, 3-0 (25-17, 25-13, 25-15) on Saturday (Oct. 16) afternoon inside Ban Johnson Arena. With the win the Pioneers improve to 5-14 overall and 2-3 in Ohio Athletic Conference play, and with the loss the Quakers fall to 3-20 overall and 0-5 in OAC action.
"Our team has had a lot of adversity thrown at us this season and it was nice to see them work together and push to get the win today," said Head Coach
Kristy Newman.
The first set was tied at 3-3 before Marietta rattled off three straight points to lead 6-3. The run saw kills from
Becca Phelps (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison Comprehensive) and
Ella Boyer (Bay Village, Ohio/Saint Joseph Academy). The Pioneers continued to play well and stretched their lead to 12-6, behind a pair of kills from
Mia Silva (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton) and a service ace from
Alayna Ricker (Columbus Grove, Ohio/Columbus Grove). Marietta extended its lead to 17-7 behind a 5-1 run. The run was sparked by a pair of kills from Silva and an ace from
Braya Elsea (Circleville, Ohio/Logan Elm). The Pioneers closed out the set strong and took the first set, 25-17.
Marietta carried its momentum over to the second set and led, 5-2. The early second set offense came from a kill by Boyer and an ace from
Makayla Schilling (Blacklick, Ohio/Licking Heights). The Pioneers saw their lead swell to 8-3 behind a block from
Maggie Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) and Phelps and an ace from Ricker, to force a Wilmington timeout. Out of the break, Marietta opened up a 6-1 run to lead 14-4. The run was highlighted by a pair of kills from
Lauren Radalia (Canton, Ohio/GlenOak) and Fellers. The Pioneers ran away with the second set, and won 25-13.
The third set was close early as it was tied 5-5. Marietta took an 11-6 edge behind a 6-1 run. The run was highlighted by kills from Ricker,
Maris Kaiser (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy) and
Courtney Hankins (Newton Falls, Ohio/Newton Falls). The Pioneers were able to maintain a comfortable lead for the remainder of the set and won 25-15. Fellers, Phelps, and Silva carried the offense to the third set win.
The Marietta offense was led by Fellers and Silva as the duo each tallied a game high nine kills. Kaiser and Radalia pitched in with seven kills apiece. Schilling led the defensive effort with a game high 15 digs. Phelps added 12 digs to the defensive effort in the match.
Marietta will return to the court Wednesday (Oct. 20) when they travel to take on Mount Union, with the game scheduled 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.
