MARIETTA, Ohio – The Marietta College volleyball team got off to a fast and powerful start in the 2022 season.  The Pioneers defeated Kenyon College in straight sets at the River City Classic on Friday (Sept. 2) evening.  The Pioneers won the match 25-16, 25-22, 25-11 and are 1-0 overall on the season.  

The Pioneers stormed out to a 9-4 lead in the first set, aided by four kills by freshman Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington).  After the Owls closed the gap to 13-11, Marietta answered with a run of their own to extend the lead to 18-12.  Maggie Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) then got in on the act, powering two consecutive kills past the Owl defense.  The Pioneers were in complete control when Becca Phelps (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison Comprehensive) took a great Emory Spitler (Lebanon, Ohio/Lebanon) set and slammed to the Fenton Court floor making the score 22-16.  The Pioneers finished out  strong and won set one 25-16.  

The second set had a similar feel as Marietta jumped out to an 11-6 lead, paced by two kills apiece from Spitler and the younger of the two Fellers sisters.  The elder sister, Maggie, helped the cause with two consecutive service aces.  Kenyon was able to get back into the set with help of some costly errors by the Pioneers, eventually closing the gap to 15-14.  Fellers got back into the swing of things with three kills over the next few plays and Marietta found themselves with a 22-15 lead.  Kenyon stayed in the game and pressured the Pioneers as they closed the gap to 24-22.  Mia Silva's (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton) kill from a Megan Marshall set completed the set and put the Owls in a 2-0 deficit,

The third set was never much in doubt as Marietta pushed out 14-8 lead and then went on a five point run, powered by four kills from the Feller sisters.  Marietta closed the proceedings with the six points and completed the sweep.

Maggie Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) led the offense with 13 kills.  Mia Silva (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton) played a consistent match and finished with 11 kills.  Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) finished with seven kills in her college debut  Defensively, Keira Shannon (Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah Community) led the way for Marietta with 15 digs.  

The Pioneers will return to the court Saturday (Sept. 3) when they wrap up their competition in the BSN Sports River City Classic.  

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.