PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Marietta College volleyball team dropped a match on day one of the Carnegie Mellon Quad to the host school Friday (Sept. 23) evening. The Pioneers fell to the Tartans 3-0 (25-17, 27-25, 25-13).
Marietta fell behind early in set one 5-2 but fought to keep it close. Kills from
Ella Boyer (Bay Village, Ohio/Saint Joseph Academy) and
Maggie Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) put the score at 7-5. Carnegie Mellon battled back into the set with three straight points to take a 10-5 edge.
Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) and
Becca Phelps (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison Comprehensive) flew high to block an attack attempt by Bella Woodard, making the score 13-10. The Tartans would go on to score nine of the next 11 points to take a commanding 22-12 lead. Marietta chipped away at the lead but could not bridge the gap. The Tartans would close out the first set, and win 25-17.
The second set was close early, as it was tied numerous times and remained deadlocked at 9-9. The offensive attack was keyed by the Fellers sisters and
Mia Silva (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton). Marietta would go on a four-point run, the final point on a thunderous kill from Boyer, to lead 13-9. In later action,
Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) took an
Emory Spitler (Lebanon, Ohio/Lebanon) set and slammed it to the floor to help give the Pioneers an 18-13 lead. The Tartans began to chip away at the lead but still found themselves down 22-19. Carnegie Mellon fought back and a Mindee Lei service ace gave them a 24-23 lead. The Tartans scored the final three points and took set two, 27-25.
Marietta started strong in the third set, rushing out to a 7-4 lead. Phelps and
Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) provided the early offensive spark. Carnegie Mellon got their momentum back with two five-point runs and a back breaking nine-point run to set the score at match point. The Pioneers could only muster a Spitler kill and the Tartans won the set, 25-13.
The offense ran through Jillian and
Maggie Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) with eight kills apiece.
Becca Phelps (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison Comprehensive) finished with five total blocks.
Braya Elsea (Circleville, Ohio/Logan Elm) led the defense with 20 digs in the match.
The Pioneers will return to the court Saturday (Sept. 24) when they battle Westminster College at 1 p.m. and Grove City College at 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.
