TIFFIN, Ohio – The Marietta College volleyball team was in action on the road Saturday (Oct. 21) afternoon as they battled with host Heidelberg and Alma College in a tri-match. After losing the first two sets, the Pioneers came back in dramatic fashion to defeat the Student Princes, 3-2 (26-28, 17-25, 25-17, 25-15, 15-8) and then swept the second match of the day 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-14) over the Scots.
Marietta opened the first game on a quick 9-4 run. The early Marietta offense came from kills by
Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington),
Emory Spitler (Lebanon, Ohio/Lebanon), and
Maggie Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington), as well as blocks from the Fellers sisters and
Mia Silva (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton). Marietta pushed the lead to 13-6 after a four point rally, but Heidelberg took the next five points to cut the lead to two. Later in the match, the Student Princes took seven of eight possessions, getting three crucial kills from Grace Porter, to tie the set at 22. Katelyn Uffman's kill put the score at set point, 24-23, but Marietta turned the tables thanks to some sloppy Heidelberg play to lead 26-25. Heidelberg fought back, taking the final three points to win the first set, 28-26
Marietta jetted off to a 5-3 start in set two, but Heidelberg answered with a five-point rally to take the lead. The Pioneers had trouble staying close in the set as the Student Princes delivered kill after kill. A trio of kills from Lexi Evak extended the lead to 20-12 and Marietta could get no closer. Uffman's kill on set point helped Heidelberg take set two, 25-21, putting the Pioneers in a must-win situation.
The third set was back and forth early and remained tied at 5-5. The Pioneers caught fire and took six of the next eight points, getting kills from their powerful front line, taking a 12-7 advantage. Both teams traded points over the next few serves, but Marietta took three straight to push the lead to 18-12.
Maggie Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) took over and brought four kills that helped push the lead to 24-17. Marietta took the final point off a Heidelberg attack error and stayed alive, 25-17.
The fourth set saw
Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) help push the Pioneers to an early 6-5 lead, as she brought three kills. Later,
Mia Silva (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton) proved pivotal as she contributed five kills as Marietta took nine of ten possessions, pushing the lead to 15-6. Heidelberg could not bridge the gap and the Pioneers won go on to win 25-15, forcing a tie-breaking final set.
The fifth set was back and forth early and remained tied at 4-4. Spitler scored with a kill and
Alayna Ricker (Columbus Grove, Ohio/Columbus Grove) scored with an ace to give the Pioneers the lead. Marietta would go on a six-point rally to take firm control and would close out the crucial OAC match with a pair of
Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) kills to win 15-8 win in the final set.
Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) led the offense in game one with 16 kills.
Maggie Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) added 15 kills and led with four blocks. Silva finished with 12 kills.
Emory Spitler (Lebanon, Ohio/Lebanon) finished with 48 assists. The defense was led by
Keira Shannon (Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah Community) as she had 20 digs and also led with four service aces.
Marietta got off to a 4-0 lead in set one versus Alma College, but quickly found themselves with an 9-8 deficit after a rally from the Scots. Marietta fought back with three straight to regain the lead, 11-9. The teams would trade leads over the next few possessions but Marietta would gain control after a pair of kills from
Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington), pushing the advantage to 22-18. A kill from Silva and an Alma attack error finished off set one with Marietta prevailing, 25-20.
The two team traded shots at the beginning of set two to fight to a 4-4 tie, but the Pioneers took the next six points to jet out to a 9-4 lead. The early offense was fueled by four kills from Silva. Alma fought back to tie at 12-12 and then took the lead at 16-15 after
Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) committed an attack error. Marietta rushed back, taking eight of the next nine points, to put the score at 24-18. The Scots did not give up and yet again made a comeback, taking five straight points. Alma's Reagan Thorr committed a service error to finally give Marietta the deciding point and the Pioneers would win the set, 25-23.
Marietta rushed out to an 11-4 lead in set three, sparked by three kills from Silva. Marietta got kills from the Fellers sisters and got a big block from
McKenzie Heil (Huron, Ohio/Huron) and
Annabelle Hacker (Centerville, Ohio/Alter) to extend the lead to 16-7. The Scots could not make up the difference and Marietta closed out set three, 25-14.
The offense was led by Silva with 12 kills and
Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) with 10 kills. Spitler led with 28 assists and eight digs.
The Pioneers will travel to Otterbein on Wednesday (Oct. 25) for an important matchup as first place in the Ohio Athletic Conference will be on the line. The match in 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 X and Instagram.
