MARIETTA, Ohio – The Marietta College volleyball team advanced in the Ohio Athletic Conference tournament with a 3-1 (25-15, 29-27, 20-25, 25-17) over Heidelberg University, in the quarterfinals on Tuesday (April 13) evening inside Ban Johnson Arena.
Head Coach
Kristy Newman said, "I am so proud of our fight tonight! The women did an amazing job of staying disciplined and following the game plan."
Marietta opened the first set quickly, as they held a 6-2 lead. The early run was sparked by
Maggie Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington), she had a pair of kills and a pair of blocks assists. The Pioneers continued to play well, and extended a 13-5 edge. The offense was led by kills from
Sam Ritenour (Jeffersonville, Ohio/Miami Trace),
Becca Phelps (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison Comprehensive), and
Hailey Fuller (Newark, Ohio/Granville), with a service ace from
Maddie Nader (Vermilion, Ohio/Vermilion). Marietta never let Heidelberg gain momentum, and won the first set, 25-15.
The second set was close early, as the set was tied six times, and remained deadlocked at 6-6. The Student Princes scored the next three points and led 9-6. The Pioneers rattled off the next five points, to grab an 11-9 advantage. The run was sparked by a pair of kills from Ritenour. Marietta pushed its lead to 15-11, with three straight kills from Ritenour, Fellers, and Nader. The Student Princes scored 10 of the next 12 points to regain a 21-17 edge. The Pioneers battled back to tie the set at 23-23. After Heidelberg led 27-26, Marietta scored the final three points, with back to back kills from
Maris Kaiser (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy) and a kill from Phelps, to win 29-27.
The Pioneers carried their momentum over to the third set, and held a 5-1 edge early. The early points came from a kill from Ritenour, and a service ace from
April Davis (Aurora, Ohio/Aurora). After Marietta held a 9-5 edge, the Student Princes answered with six straight points, to lead 11-9. Heidelberg continued to play well and led 19-11. The Student Princes won the third set, 25-20.
Heidelberg opened the fourth set with four consecutive points. The Pioneers responded with four unanswered points to tie the set at 4-4. The run saw kills from Kaiser and Fellers. After the Student Princes scored, Marietta rattled off four points, and led 8-5 behind kills from Ritenour and Fellers. The Pioneers continued to play well and held a 19-12 edge, with a kill from Phelps. Marietta won the fourth set 25-17, when Phelps drove home back to back kills.
The Pioneers were led by Ritenour, she had 17 kills, and three block assists in the match. Fellers pitched in with 15 kills, and a game high eight total blocks in the match. Phelps added 14 kills. Defensively,
Makayla Schilling (Blacklick, Ohio/Licking Heights) tallied 22 digs in the match. Davis added 19 digs in the match, and had an ace.
Braya Elsea (Circleville, Ohio/Logan Elm) and
Abbi Thompson (Commercial Point, Ohio/Teays Valley) added 15 and 14 digs respectively in the match.
Marietta will return to the court Thursday (April 15) when they travel to compete at Muskingum University, in the Semifinals of the OAC tournament.
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.
