MARIETTA, Ohio – The 12th-ranked Marietta College volleyball team was in action on Saturday (Oct. 12) afternoon as they battled Heidelberg University. The Student Princes hung around throughout the matchup but eventually fell to the undefeated Pioneers, 3-1 (25-19, 25-16, 21-25, 26-24). With the win, Marietta improves to 14-0 overall and 3-0 in the Ohio Athletic Conference. With the loss, Heidelberg drops to 11-9 overall and 2-1 in the OAC.
Marietta got out the gate a bit slow as they fell behind early 12-6, but then started find some momentum as they cut into the lead. The Pioneers got a big kill from
Karly Launder (Pleasant City, Ohio/Meadowbrook), who got her first career start as
Mia Silva (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton) was sat out to rest some injuries.
Ella Boyer (Bay Village, Ohio/Saint Joseph Academy) also provided a kill and Marietta fought back to trail by only one point. Marietta then took 10 of the next 12 possessions to take a big 21-14 lead. The Marietta offense came from kills by Launder,
Sophie Evans (Marietta, Ohio/Marietta), Maggie and
Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington), and another pair of kills from Boyer. The Student Princes made a nice comeback to cut into the lead, but could not overcome it.
Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) rattled off a pair of kills to close out the first set, 25-20.
Marietta jetted off to a 5-1 start in set two, getting a boost from a pair of kills from
Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington). Later in the set, Heidelberg took advantage of some Pioneer attack errors to cut the lead to one. Marietta returned fire, winning six of the next seven points fueled by a pair of kills from Launder to extend it to a 14-8 advantage. Kills from
Maggie Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) and Boyer gave the Pioneers a small cushion at 20-14 and Heidelberg could not make up the difference.
Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) provided some firepower with another pair of kills and Marietta took set two, 25-16.
The third set saw Marietta jump out to a quick lead with the help of a pair of kills from
Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) and Boyer, but Heidelberg stayed close and tied it up at eight-all. The Princes front line began to collect some kills as Sophia Simon connected twice and Olivia Miller's kill gave Heidelberg a 12-10 lead. Both teams traded the next several possessions but Heidelberg rallied for four straight points to take a late 21-16 lead. The Pioneers stayed close, getting kills from Evans,
Maggie Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington), and Launder, but it was not enough to put them over the edge. Heidelberg score the final three points and claimed set three, 25-21, forcing a fourth set.
The fourth set saw Marietta build on early lead off of three consecutive Heidelberg attack errors. The lead was then pushed to 8-3 as Evans and the Fellers sisters provided some powerful kills. Heidelberg rallied to tie the set at nine-all, scoring on four straight possessions. For the next several chances, both teams traded points all the way to a 17-all deadlock. The Pioneers again took advantage of some sloppy play to lead by three, 20-17, but per usual, the Student Princes found their way back. After getting a pair of kills from Lexi Wachtman, Heidelberg led by one late in the set. Marietta then scored on three straight and brought it to match point after a kill from Evans, only to have Heidelberg tie it back up at 24-all. The Pioneers finally closed as
Maggie Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) and Boyer closed out with kills. Marietta won the final set, 26-24.
Jillian Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) led the offense with 15 kills and also co-led the team with five blocks.
Maggie Fellers (Alliance, Ohio/Marlington) and Boyer added 10 kills apiece. Fellers also fared well defensively collecting 17 digs and five blocks.
Emory Spitler (Lebanon, Ohio/Lebanon) finished with 47 assists.
Keira Shannon (Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah Community) put together a dynamic defensive performance, finishing with 34 digs.
The Pioneers will travel to Capital on Wednesday (Oct. 16) evening for another OAC matchup with a start time scheduled for 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.
