NEW CONCORD, Ohio – The Marietta College volleyball team defeated Muskingum University 3-1 (25-20, 25-22, 17-25, 29-27) on Wednesday (Oct. 5) evening on the road. With the win the Pioneers are now 14-4 overall and 2-1 in Ohio Athletic Conference play, and with the loss the Fighting Muskies fall to 12-4 overall and 1-2 in the OAC.
"The Pios showed a lot of grit and resilience tonight," remarked Head Coach
Kristy Newman. "We grew and battled when it mattered most!"
Muskingum got off to a quick start as they led 6-1 to open the first set, but Marietta would battle back to tie the score at eight. The early Pioneer offense came from a pair of kills by
Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington). The Fighting Muskies rattled off five of the next six points to lead, 13-9. The Pioneers would then go on a six-point run, paced by a trio of
Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) kills and Marietta would take a 16-14 lead. After some back in forth action, Marietta would close out the set scoring the final six points.
Braya Elsea (Circleville, Ohio/Logan Elm) scored on all of those serves, finishing the match with an ace. Marietta would take the first set, 25-20.
The second set saw Muskingum start quickly again with a 4-1 lead. The Pioneers fought back with kills from
Emory Spitler (Lebanon, Ohio/Lebanon),
Becca Phelps (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison Comprehensive), and
Maggie Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) to tie it at five. The Muskies jumped back out to a 10-6 lead with the help of a pair of kills from Reagan Flood. Marietta mounted a comeback deep in the set, scoring five consecutive points. The run was started by two
Mia Silva (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton) kills and Marietta found themselves leading for the first time in set two. The two teams traded points, but in the end, the Pioneers scored the final two points of the set, and won 25-22.
With their backs to the wall, Muskingum came out swinging in set three. Khloe Taylor, Lexie Huck, and Quinn Horn provided plenty of spark and Muskingum would rush out to a 14-7 lead.
Maggie Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) dropped two kills to get the Pioneers withing three points, 15-12. Muskingum would never let the Pioneers get closer throughout the rest of the set, though, closing out with a 25-17 victory and surviving to the next set.
In set four, Marietta rushed out to a 7-2 lead but Muskingum would fight back on a four point run of their own. During a critical moment in the set, Muskingum ran off 12 of 13 points to storm to an 18-11 score. Just as it was looking like the match would go on to a fifth set, Marietta would begin chipping at the lead.
Maggie Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) provided two kills and an ace in a run that would cut the lead to 18-15.
Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) provided two kills in another four-point run to make the score, 21-20, in the favor of Muskingum. The Pioneers put it at match point after a
Maggie Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington)/Silva co-block, but had their serve broken on the next play. The two teams would trade the lead over the next couple of possessions.
Maggie Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) scored on two consecutive kills to put the score at match point once again, but had a service error on the next serve. The Muskies returned the favor on the next serve, putting the score at match point for a third time. The Pioneers would not give the lead back as Phelps finished the match with a thunderous kill. The Pioneers would outlast the Muskies, 29-27.
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The Pioneers were led by
Maggie Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington), she had 20 kills and 20 digs in the match.
Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) added 19 kills and contributed 18 digs to the defensive effort. Spitler collected 48 assists and Phelps provided five total blocks for the Pioneers.
Marietta will return to the court Sunday (Oct. 9) when they host Wittenberg University, with the match scheduled for 3 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.
